The Untold Story
by twilight girl456
Summary: She was the little sister of the planets hero.He was a Turk. She can see that he is trying to become a better person, but her brother thinks otherwise.This is the story of Haley Strife.
1. Sunrise with a turk and an angry brother

Ok this is the first ff7 fanfic ive ever written so dont judge me!!i own nothing including the lullaby used in this song, which, if you recognised, is from mighty joe young if youve seen the movie!So enjoy chapter 1!!

Flames….that's all that I could see. Everything was burnt to the ground to ash…. And some flames still flickered within the surrounding smoke… nothing was left nor no was anyone…. My hometown had been burnt to the ground. I frantically began to search for my home, or, at least what was left of it, and my mother. I began running around searching, when I heard a cough. I frantically turned around and saw someone laying on the ground. I ran over to the person. I reached them and noticed it was my mother.

"Mom!" I cried falling on my knees beside her. I looked at her noticing she wasn't burnt in any way but noticed she was bleeding from her side.

She noticed me looking at her wound and quickly covered it up in hopes of me not worrying.

"Don't worry sweetheart… Its nothing." she said in a somewhat weak voice. I knew better.

She gave me a reassuring look that told me not to push the question anymore.

"Come on mom…let me get you somewhere safer than this place." I tried to help her stand up but she shook her head no.

"No….I…I'm afraid I cant…" she said .

I was fixing to argue back and tell her she had to try , but she pulled me down to lay next to her.

"I need you to promise me something Haley.." she said weakly.

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll take care of your brother…" she said, looking at me with sad but hopeful eyes.

"I…I promise!" I said strongly. My mother laughed weakly at my tone.

"I love you two very much… tell him I said that when you see him." she said sadly, shedding one tear.

"I will.." I started to cry.

My mother began to sing a lullaby that she would always sing to me and my brother when we were little.

'imba wimbo wa upepo, wakati unajiwa na

Imba wimbo wa upepo, wakati udoto tamu..' my mothers breathing was getting harder..

'wakona indoeala milele…' I sang the last verse alone.

I shot up out of my bed, sweating and crying…it was all just a dream. It had happened 5 years ago but it felt like I had just relived it all over again. I looked at the clock beside my bed. It read 4:30 A.M.. I was too awake to go back to sleep now, so I decided to get up and get dressed. I got up from my bed and walked over toward the dresser and pulled out my normal everyday clothes, which consisted of a purple tank top, short black shorts, my boots, and my gloves. After I had brushed my hair and teeth and had gotten dressed, I quietly opened my door and took a quick look around the hall. After I made sure no one else was awake, I quietly exited my room and headed towards the stairs. I quietly crept down them, hoping to wake the nobody up. Once I had reached the floor, I ran towards the front door of the 7th Heaven. I quickly turned the knob and opened the door and ran out, shutting the door behind me. Once outside, I breathed in the crisp, early morning air of Edge. For it just being 4 in the morning, there were already a lot of people out in the streets working or shopping. I noticed that the sun hadn't come up yet so I set off, looking for somewhere to watch the sunrise.

After about 30 minutes, I had reached the old church. Coming here always made me feel good and calm. I climbed up to the roof and sat down, watching the horizon and waiting for the sunrise. I closed my eyes enjoying the peace around me. I quietly began to hum a song my mom used to sing to me when I was little.

I continued sitting there, eyes closed, and humming, thinking I was alone….until I heard a familiar voice.

"Well babe what brings you here at 5:30 in the morning?" the voice asked.

I quickly turned around to face my unexpected guest. I looked up to come face to face with a flame haired man with an all, to familiar face.

Reno.

"….Reno? What are you doing here?" I asked surprised.

"Oh just stuff…actually I saw you running through town, and I was wondering where you could have been going in such a hurry, so I followed you."

Great so now a turk has decided to stalk me…could this get any better or worse?

"Oh" was all I had managed to say. I wasn't really in a mood to yell at him for following me.

He walked over and sat down next to me. Great. He probably came to ruin my morning.

"But," he started, "What are you doing here?" he asked me giving me a questioning glance.

"Well I couldn't sleep so I came here to watch the sunrise." I said

"Oh" was all he managed to say. I turned my gaze towards him. I noticed how his eyes shined when the tiniest thing of light hit them. His hair was tied up in its usual ponytail that went down to his back. His face was beautiful. And his lips looked so kissable…WOAH!!!!WOAH!!!WHAT! Did I just say I wanted to KISS RENO!!!!!

"Uhh, Haley? Are you ok?" Reno's voice brought me out of my insane thoughts. I noticed that I had been staring at him for more than a mere second.

"Huh? oh yea im fine." I said a little to quickly, but apparently he let it go.

We sat there in silence a few more minutes before Reno broke the silence again.

"Where's your weapon at?" he asked in a little concerned tone. I looked at him a moment in confusion until I actually realized what he was saying.

I had left my Hope Sword back at the bar, upstairs in my room. I left it there because I didn't really need it to come here. I mean there wasn't anyone or anything to fight, plus I didn't want to scare people. Besides, I was planning to fix it up some later…I mean I t doesn't need to be fixed because its already in perfect condition, but I was thinking about modifying, adding on some stuff….

"Oh! My Hope Sword! I left it back at the bar." I said answering his question.

He looked at me still, still confused, "Why?" he asked.

"Well.." I started off, "I didn't think I really needed it this morning, so I left It in my room at the bar. Plus I was planning on modifying it some later so yea…" I said finishing my answer to his question.

He just nodded when I answered his question. It had been awhile since I had seen Reno…at least 2 months tops, but every now and then, I would see him at the bar but we never really talked. This was the most I've talked to Reno since the battle against Kadaj and his brothers.

We sat there a few more minutes in silence. I would look over at Reno and his gaze was just on the horizon. I began to realize something was very off. Reno wasn't talking.

"Reno…"I started to say, "Is everything ok?" I asked in a concerned tone.

He broke his gaze off the horizon and met my gaze with his. He just grinned his cocky smile.

"Awww, is the little Strifette concerned for a turk?" he asked in an extremely annoying tone, using the nickname he'd given me a while back. He gave it to me so he could always tell who he was talking to, because since Cloud and I were brother and sister, he gave me the nickname, Strifette, seeing as im the girl Strife, and Cloud, being my brother, got to keep his last name with out any add on to it.

"Well you're being really quiet, and that's something your normally not," I said in an annoyed tone.

He just laughed at my tone. I turned my gaze back to the horizon, only to notice that it was beginning to light up.

"Reno shut up with your laughing and look!" I shouted somewhat. His laughter abruptly stopped and his gaze went towards the horizon. I heard a gasp of amazement and a "oh wow…" come from him.

I watched closely as the sun began to come up studying it. The lower part of the sky began to become a pinkish-purple mixed with orange, red, and yellow. As the sun began to rise up a little higher, the colors began to grow in the sky, as if someone were painting it over and over.

This was the best place, and probably the only place in Midgar, to come watch the sunrise and sunset.

"Wow…" Reno said with amazement in his voice, "This is probably the best sunrise I've ever seen!"

"Yea, well this the only place where you can actually watch it good enough…" I stated.

After a few more minutes of watching, the sun had finally risen up high enough to light up Midgar. I stood up and stretched, with a big yawn. Reno watched as I stood up, with a questioning look on his face.

"Well, this was really nice…" I said in a cheerful tone with a big smile, "I enjoyed the company!" I said getting a big grin from Reno.

"Yea it was. We should do it again sometime." he said with a look of hope in his eyes….hopes of me saying yes.

"Yea that would be nice…I'd like that." I said getting an even bigger grin from him.

I began to head towards the hole in the roof from which I jumped through to the roof. Before I could even get close to jumping through it I heard Reno begin to talk again.

"Hey ill walk you back." he said walking over to me, and jumping down the hole before me.

I followed in response, and jumped down with ease and grace.

We talked about whats been going on with our lives and such and before I knew it, we were back at the bar.

"Thanks.." I said to him.

"No problem…" he said with a smile in his voice.

"See ya around Strifette…" and with that, he left.

I opened the door to the bar quietly, as in hopes to not wake anyone who was still asleep up. I shut it very quietly behind me and began to walk towards the kitchen. But before I could even move 5 steps, I felt a hand enclose my wrist.

"Where do you think your going?" I heard a concerned voice ask.

"To the kitchen…to find some breakfast…" I said trying to move forward once more, but the grip on my arm was still firmly in place.

"Arrrgghhh…Cloud, let me go!" I sad annoyed. I turned around to face my big brother, only to see him smiling at me.

"Not until you tell me where you were…" he said, the smile disappearing off his face.

The one thing I will never understand is why he gets so upset when I go somewhere alone just to relax or something.

I gave a long sigh, "I went to watch the sunrise." I said.

His face didn't look as if he believed me.

"Alone?" he asked concerned.

"Well that was the intention of the plan…..but I had company later on…." I said sweetly. His face turned into a frown.

"Who else was with you?"

"Uhhhh….hehe…ummm…Reno.." I said very softly, in hopes he wouldn't here me.

"WITH WHO?!?!?!?!?!?!?" apparently he heard me.

See, Cloud still doesn't trust Reno….or the entire group of turks for that matter. Even though they've turned over a new leaf and everything, Cloud still has plenty for them left inside him. They still fight for Shinra, but they do it for the planet now, trying to fix their mistakes they made all those years ago. Even Rufus Shinra is trying to help fix his mistakes he made with Shinra, which kinda gives you the idea that he is sorry for all the problems and mistakes they caused. But, alas, Cloud still cant seem to realize that they're not all that bad as they used to be. Sure, they still killed people and stuff, but their attempts to help fix their mistakes is showing improvement.

My thoughts of Turk improvements and progress were interrupted with my brothers angry voice and face.

"Why the hell were you with Reno?!?!?!?!?!?"

Seriously you need to get your ears checked cloud…."I told you my intentions were to be by myself, but he just came and kept me company…..god why do you freak out about every little thing!?!? Its not a big deal Cloud! Its not the friggin end of the world!!!" I finished with lack of oxygen from talking so fast.

"Haley, he's a Turk! And a dangerous one too! I cant trust him!….and neither should you…." he said, talking softly with the last words of his sentence.

I looked at my chocobo head of a brother and gave him a very angry, yet sad glare.

"I never said I trusted him Cloud…but I think that he's trying really hard to improve his reputation… not as the bad guy, but the guy that says he's sorry for all the things he's done and caused…I don't see him as the bad guy I know about…but as the guy who's better than the way he really acts… I don't know if I can truly trust him…but I think that I can learn to trust him if can trust my mind…and my heart…" I said softly and started to walk away.

"But…" I said once more," You may not trust him now…and may never will…but you have your opinion and I have mine…yours may be that you will never trust him, but mine says to at least try….time will tell us what to do." and with that said I walked off and went upstairs, leaving Cloud to contemplate on my words.


	2. Pianos,writing,singing,memories,and Reno

2 chapters up in one day!Im so proud of myself!!!As usual, i own nothing!the song i used in ths chapter is if we hold on together by diana ross and i dont own that!!!oh and i used aeriths piano them in this one, an i dont own that either!!!!i wish i did though!!!enjoy chapter 2!

I sat in my room, alone thinking about what I just said to my brother.

_'God…I just hope he wont ignore me for yelling at him!_' I thought to myself.

I hate it when Cloud gets mad because I know he ignores me just to make me feel bad for yelling at him.

I glanced at my alarm clock on my night table. It was only 8:05 am. Still really early.

I began to think of what I could possibly do around the house this early.

I wonder if Marlene and Denzel are up yet?

Just as I thought that, Marlene came running through my door, running straight towards me.

_'well she sure is a morning person'_

"Good morning Haley!!!" Marlene said happily.

I couldn't help but softly laugh at her perkiness.

"Good morning Marlene."

"Tifa is making breakfast. She wanted to know if you wanted to come downstairs and have some."

My stomach began to growl in response to Marlene's question.

"Sure. Breakfast sounds good!" and with that we both walked downstairs to the kitchen.

Of course, you would think I made it downstairs without any problems right? Wrong!

On my way to the kitchen Cloud was of course, right by the entrance. And to think I thought I could go eat in peace so easily.

"Haley…." Cloud said softly. He looked down at the floor, but before he did, I looked in his eyes and they shocked me! His eyes….were…were filled with what looked like guilt.

He continued staring down at the floor, while I stood there waiting for him to finish what he was fixing to say. But I began to grow aggravated within the few minutes of silence and he clearly couldn't get out what he was trying to say, so I began to walk off. Before I could manage a step, I felt a strong hand grab my wrist.

"Haley, im sorry for yelling at you…" poor cloud….I didn't mean to make him feel so bad…"I had no right to take out my opinions on you…it was very wrong and im sorry….please just forget about what I said and lets act like it-oomph!"

Before he could even finish what he was saying, I had my arms wrapped around him in one of the most biggest possible hugs ever. He didn't move for awhile, but I finally felt him wrap his arms around me.

"its ok Cloud…I forgive you…" and that's all that was said.

Cloud was the only thing, and I mean the only thing of family I had left. I cherished him like one would an item except he wasn't an item…he was my older brother. We were a family, and after all these years, I still have kept the promise I made mother before she died…and I intend to keep it that way.

Together, we walked into the kitchen for some breakfast.

-------------

Later that day, I found myself upstairs, staring at my piano. My beautiful piano. It was a gift from everyone, well mostly Cloud, but they all pitched in to buy it for me so technically it was from them all. When I felt bored, sad, or just in a mood of some sort, I would come here and play to make me feel relaxed. There was also a piano downstairs, and sometimes, Tifa would ask me to play on some nights for the customers. I also have a guitar, but I haven't played in awhile.

Before I could even realize what I was doing, I was sitting down on the piano bench, placing my hands on the keys. The sound of musical notes playing in the air brought me out of my thoughts, and I concentrated only on the piano. The melody of each key I pressed soothed me. I closed my eyes, taking in the beautiful tune I was making with my hands.

But while I was playing, memories began to come back to me.

_Flashback:_

_A small child sat on the piano bench next to her mother, watching her play and listening to the melody she was playing._

_Her mother continued to play, singing along with the tune._

_Don't lose your way_

_With each passing day_

_You've come so far don't throw it away_

_Live believing, dreams are for weaving_

_Wonders are waiting to start_

_Live your story,_

_Faith,hope,and glory_

_Hold to the truth in your heart_

_If we hold on together_

_I know are drams will never die_

_Dreams see us through to forever_

_Where clouds roll by_

_For you and I….._

_The small girl continued listening attentively to everything and then joined along in the singing._

_Souls in the wind_

_Must learn how to bend_

_Seek out a star_

_Hold on to the end_

_Valley, mountain_

_There is a fountain_

_Washes our tears all away_

_Words are swaying_

_Someone is praying_

_Please let us come home to stay_

_If we hold on together_

_I know our dreams will never die_

_Dreams see us through, to forever_

_Where clouds roll by_

_For you and I_

_When we are out there in the dark_

_We'll dream about the sun_

_In the dark we'll feel the light_

_Warm our hearts, everyone_

_If we hold on together_

_I know our dreams, will never die_

_Dreams see us through to forever_

_As high as souls can fly_

_The clouds roll by_

_For you and…I_

_The child began to beam happily at her mother when they had finished singing the song together._

_"Mommy, I wanna play to!!" the child cried happily. Her mother laughed softly at what her daughter just said._

_"Well, ill teach you how to then." the child squealed in excitement_

_"I wanna play and sing just like you!"_

_"Well, who knows…you could very well be on your way there."_

_End flashback:_

That is one of the only memories I have of my mother teaching me to play. Its because it was the only time she taught me how to play because I only needed one lesson before I caught on and learned how to play. My mother would call it a gift that I was such a quick learner. And she was right about me being on my way to a wonderful piano player and singer. I was just as good as she was.

The memories of me watching her playing the piano almost everyday when I was a small girl, are some of my most cherished memories of my childhood. The ones of her taking care of me and Cloud…The ones of us being a family….Just us with nothing to take it and rip it all away….But that happened when Cloud left to join SOLIDER. My mother didn't show how heartbroken she was the day he was leaving, though I could see it in her eyes. She was sad, but yet proud that her son was going off and leaving us just so he could be a hero…Leaving us….Leaving me. When he left, I hated him…I hated him for leaving my mother, sad that her boy was leaving home on his own. I hated him for leaving both of us to take care of ourselves as if nothing happened and act like he never left…I hated him for leaving me…I was alone after Nibelheim was burnt to the ground…I had no one to take care of me…I was on my one and it was scary. As I was growing up, I would surround myself with people because I hated the feeling of being alone. I would always make sure I was around Cloud or my mom when I went somewhere. But I grew out of it when I got older. But the pain of that feeling came back at full force when my mom died…She was the only one I had with me. I had Cloud, but he wasn't even around home, and that made me alone. I had no one to take care of me then, and I blamed it all on Cloud, because I felt that it was his fault that the this horrible feeling had come back and because he wasn't around to take care of me.

But, when I found him, I had never felt so happy and overjoyed in my life…I had someone I cared for back and all my hatred towards him just disappeared as if it was never there…and that's how I've kept since.

My thoughts of the past were interrupted when I realized what the tune I had just created sounded like….it was a spark of inspiration!!!! I played the tune again. I found several sheets of paper and a pen and began to write down lyrics. I played the tune and began to sing out several written lyrics I had already created. My inspiration kept coming as I began to play different notes that went with the lyrics I was writing. After about 10 minutes of playing and writing I had created a new song.

I put it aside and began to play a lullaby my mother would sing to me and Cloud when we were little. I had only gotten to playing the second verse when Tifa entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt." she said apologetically.

"Oh its alright! I don't mind"

"Listen, I was hoping, if you don't mind, if you would play tonight downstairs for the customers?"

I have played for the bars customers a couple a times. It was actually alright. Some of the customers would actually pay me a little gil for my performance. But they were sometimes when there would be the occasional drunk guy who would want me for more than just my singing and piano playing….but luckily that never really happened to me! Just Tifa….poor Tifa.

"Sure, sounds good to me!" I said without really thinking about it. I really need a break from everything else anyway…

"Great! Well im fixing to open up in about 5 minutes so you should probably hurry up and get ready ok?" and with that said, she left making her way downstairs. WAIT!!! Did she just say 5 minutes!!!!?!?!?!?

"CRAP!!!"

I jumped up and ran out the door towards my bedroom to quickly change clothes.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

After I had quickly changed, I made my way downstairs to the bar to find customers already coming in. I noticed one very familiar red head sitting at the bar.

"Oh well that was fast!" Tifa chirped happily, as I made my way over to the bar. The familiar red-head looked up at me and smirked.

"Yo' Strifette!" Reno said amusingly, "You look nice!"

I felt my face turn warm, and I had no doubt that my cheeks looked like the color of a tomato.

"Thanks…" I said quietly. When I saw him smile, I knew that he heard me.

"So what song are you gonna play tonight?" Tifa asked me.

"Umm, well im not really sure….. I guess anything that comes to mind…." I said thinking of what I could play. I quickly remembered a piano theme I had made not to long ago for Aerith… it suited her and she liked it too. I played it for everyone after they came home from the battle with Sephiroth after I had heard Aerith had been killed. They thought it was lovely and they felt happy when they heard it.

Before anyone else could say anything to me, I was making my way over to the piano. I sat down on the bench and placed my hands on the keys. I took a deep breath and looked around me. No one was really paying attention yet as usual. But I noticed Reno watching me with curiosity before I looked back down at the keys.

Aerith's theme: piano version playing

Once I had began to play the first few notes, most of the people turned their attention to me while I played. I continued playing the song, while everyone watched me. I was so caught up with playing, I didn't notice Reno come sit next to me quietly on the bench, watching me play. Everything remained that way for a few more minutes and the song was over. Everyone applauded for my playing as I got up, along with Reno.

"Hey, I was wondering…." he said softly, "if you wanted to go for a walk with me."

Without thinking, I simply nodded and walked out with him.


	3. Walking with a turk and bar fights

A/N:yay!chappie #3!!!im so proud of myself!!!reviews-cough,cough-are enjoy chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Taking a walk with a Turk and Stopping bar fights

When I stepped out of the bar into the night air, I had noticed that it was actually quite chilly, and that I had not even bothered to bring a jacket or a sweater to keep me warm. I couldn't help but shiver a little.

Apparently Reno noticed this, and the next thing I knew, he was holding out his jacket in front of me.

"Well….?" he said questioningly, "You gonna take it or not?"

I quickly grabbed the jacket and slipped it on around me. It was really big around me, but it was still warm from Reno wearing it so I just snuggled into it some more.

"Thanks.." I mumbled kindly.

"No problem…"

We walked around a few more minutes in silence. It was actually surprisingly quiet in town this time of night, which it normally never is. It was very peaceful. I was so busy in taking in the silence of the night, that I didn't notice Reno stop in front of me, which lead me into running into his back.

"oomph!"

"Jeeze kid pay attention to what's in front of ya."

"Sorry…" I mumbled apologetically. I looked up from the ground and noticed we were at the park. The last time I had seen the park, it was nothing but a pile of rubble. But, apparently, some people had managed to rebuild it and it looked good as new. I noticed Reno walk over to the swing set and get on a swing. I followed and sat down on one as well.

"You know…." he started, "I remember how the old park used to be littered. There would always be pieces of lumber laying around and tools for construction. I always found that dangerous being that there were kids playing around that crap… It's amazing none of them got hurt from playing around it."

I smiled at him for his concern and began to take in my surroundings. I glanced over everything in the park, when I noticed some flowers. Without even saying anything, I got up from the swing and made my way over to them.

"Haley….??What are you doing??" I heard Reno ask, but I ignored his question and kept walking over to the small patch.

I bent down on my knees and stared at the flowers, taking each one in. I took me awhile to identify what type of flowers they were exactly, but I finally figured out what they were. My mind was so caught up in the flowers, I didn't notice Reno come to stand next to me.

"Dahlias…." I whispered aloud. They were dahlias and lilies.

I felt my eyes begin to water. Dahlias were my mothers favorite flower. I tried to blink back my tears, but several had already escaped. Reno quietly knelt down next to me and took notice of my tears, seeing as I was rapidly wiping them away.

"Hey…? What's the matter? Why are you crying?" he asked concerned.

"These flowers…" I said pointing to the dahlias, "were my mothers favorite." I smiled sadly at the flowers. I looked over to the lilies, which my favorite, and tried to stop thinking about the other flowers.

"Oh…" Reno mumbled, apparently trying to hold back any other questions he had about my past.

We stayed in silence a few more minutes, with me just staring at the flowers, and Reno looking around thinking of something to say to make me feel better.

I sighed and fell backwards in the grass, staring up at the sky. Reno, of course, had know idea what just happened, but followed my actions, laying beside me in the grass.

The stars were already out, shining up in the sky without any clouds to hide them from anyone. I stared up at them looking for the constellations. Reno turned his head to look at me. He didn't say anything…He just stared at me.

I continued staring up at the star filled sky, when I remembered something familiar like this from my childhood.

_Flashback:_

_A mother and her 2 children sat in a field of flowers under the night sky, looking at the stars above them. The mother told her 2 children, a boy with spiky blond hair and a little girl with blond hair that was straight, stories about the many constellations. She then pointed to one star, the one that was the brightest of them all and the biggest._

_She than said:_

_"Cloud, Haley? Do you see that star right there?" she asked them while she pointed at the bright star._

_The little girl chirped "Yes mommy!!! I see it!!!" the little girl pointed to the star her mother was talking about. She then turned to the older boy and said, "Cowed (being as she was only 4 and had a hard time pronouncing some things) do you see the star?" she said while crawling on the older boys back. She loved her big brother and he loved her too, so he didn't push or paw her away from him._

_"Yea…I see it too!" he said pointing to where his mother was pointing. His little sister was having a hard time holding on to his back so he reached behind him and pulled her up a little and held onto her from behind._

_"Why?" he asked._

_"Well," their mother began to say, "Whenever you two are on a journey or im not here anymore to take care of you, or you have to make a certain choice or path in life, look up to sky for that star and it will light the way. And if you two are ever alone or feel alone, look up to that star and remember this….Im always with you and your never truly alone. Ill always be with…even if you cant see me because ill always be with you in here." she said pointing to both of their chests to where their hearts are._

_"Do you both promise me that?" she asked them._

_"I promise you mommy!" said the little girl._

_"So do I!" said the boy_

_The mother smiled lovingly at her 2 children's answers. She looked back up to the sky. The family stayed that way a little longer before finally going back inside their little house._

_End flashback:_

Those words my mom had spoken to me and Cloud all those years ago reminded me about that promise.

_'Even if you cant see me…I'll always be with you right here.'_

I touched my chest where my heart was while remembering those words. I felt a pang in my chest just thinking about them. It wasn't an upset feeling, but a sad feeling. I didn't really keep that promise to well…I spent all my time looking for Cloud feeling alone, when I made a promise to always know im not.

And right now….I know that I will never be truly alone.

"Hey, you alright?" I turned my head to meet the concerned gaze of Reno.

"Yea im fine.." I replied and turned my gaze back up to the sky. I then noticed something very familiar up in the sky. The brightest star.

"Look!" I said pointing to the bright star in the sky.

Reno looked up at the sky. "Look at what?" he asked

"You see that star? The one that's the brightest?" I asked him. He looked around for it for a few more seconds.

"oh, yea I see it now…"

"When I was little, my mom would always tell us stories about the stars and constellations. She said to us one time, that that star-" I said pointing up at it, "was the brightest one there is. She said that whenever we were ever lost or on a journey of our own, to look up at that star and think with our hearts. She said that it would guide us on the path we were to take in life." I said.

Reno turned his gaze from the stars to look at me.

"Hey, are you crying?" he asked softly. Indeed, I felt my eyes sting with the tears.

I ignored his question and continued on with what I was saying.

"She also told us that if she wasn't ever around to take care of us one day, to look up at that star and remember these words….Im always with you and your never truly alone…ill always be with you even if you cant see me because ill always be with you right here in your hearts…" I said choking on my tears as I continued.

"When I found her after Sephiroth had burnt down Nibelheim, she was still barely alive…She told me to let my heart guide me….that it whispers so to always listen closely…" I managed to say all that before breaking down in sobs.

Reno said nothing. Instead he wrapped his arms around me held me close to him, trying to comfort me. He sat me in his lap, arms around me and rubbing his thumb soothing circles on my shoulder. And it felt very comforting….something I thought that Turks could never be good at.

He said nothing as he held me, trying to comfort me as I cried.

Once my crying had stopped, I laid back down in the grass to stare up at the star filled sky. I remember how my mom, Cloud, and I would always be outside at night staring up at them. She would sing us a lullaby she had learned somewhere at them. Actually, she would always sing it to us and it was one that I have memorized by heart.

Without a thought about anything else, I quietly began to hum the lullaby, singing the words in my head.

"Ya' know, I never knew you could play the piano."

I stopped humming and turned to look at Reno.

"Your point?" I asked.

"Well I uh….well, never really thought of you as someone that could play…"

"Are you saying, that because I'm a girl and I can fight, that I cant play the piano?" now he was really making me mad.

"No, I'm not saying that at all….what im saying is that its impressive that a good fighter is a really good piano player." his words sounded pretty sincere there, but I still have my doubts that's what he was really planning to say.

I chuckled quietly at him. "I'll take that as a sort of Turk compliment."

He laughed at my choice of words. "Yea well I guess that's what I would call it."

My PHS then began to ring. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the caller id. It was Tifa.

"Hello?"

_'Haley where are you?' _she asked.

"Im at the at the park."

_"WITH RENO?!?!?!"_ Gawd, what is it with everyone freaking out about who im with?!?

"Yea…..?"

_'Well, listen I need you to get back to the bar ASAP!!! I need your help.'_

I let out a loud sigh. "Ok ill be there in a couple of minutes."

I closed my PHS and looked at Reno.

"I gotta get back to the bar…apparently im needed by Tifa."

"Ok, I'll walk you back then." he said as he stood up.

We started walking back to the bar. It was silence the whole way back to the bar.

"Well thanks for the walk." I smiled at him.

"Yeah well thanks for walking with me. I'll see ya around." and with that said, he started walking off.

I walked into the bar to find that Tifa was in the middle of the room, glaring at two men who looked like they were fixing to rip each other apart.

Tifa looked over at me, and a look of relief washed over her face.

"Oh Haley!!! Than Gaia you're back!!!" she said, waving me over.

"Tifa what's going on here?" I asked, gesturing towards the two guys that looked ready to kill.

"Well, apparently one of them bumped into the other, knocking the guys beer out of his hand. Then the guy got real pissed at him for not saying sorry, and then they started to throw insults back and forth and all that crap…. Someone already broke them apart from killing each other once, but it looks like they're fixing to go at it again…" she said looking back at the two men.

Just as she had finished telling me the whole story, sure enough, the two guys went at each other again. On punched the other in the face while one kicked one in the stomach. Before the fight could progress in destroying what remained of bar property, I stepped in between the two men and put my arms out two stop them from attacking each other any more.

"ALL RIGHT NOW THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!" I yelled at them. Of course they did the most stupid choice they could've ever made. They went around me and started to throw punches at each other again.

"These guys are really starting to piss me off…" I muttered under my breath.

Once more I stepped in between them, once more trying to hold them back, but instead this time, I almost got punched in the face. Luckily, I ducked down before the fist could come in contact with my face, and threw a kick towards both of the guys nuts.

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF BOTH OF YOU!!!!" I shouted again even louder than before.

Both men fell to the floor in pain from my kick, groaning. Everyone else was silent.

"Most of you that always come here know the bar rules: no money, no service. Secondly, you break something you replace it. And thirdly, you start a fight, we kick you out and you're not allowed back in the bar or on the property. You two…." I said pointing at the groaning men on the ground, "You two just broke two of the rules. Rules 2 and 3. Now you can either 1) pay off the damage you caused by cleaning up your mess and the dishes and we forgive and we let you come back anytime you'd like without starting trouble or 2)You still pay for the damages inflicted on bar property and never show your scumbag faces around my bar again!" Ok, well, technically it's Tifa's bar, but hey im caught in the moment plus, I live upstairs!

Both men remained silent until Tifa spoke up.

"Well you heard the woman! What's it gonna be?!" she asked.

"Choice number 2." they both answered.

"Good answer!" I said all to happily, "Now that'll be $200 dollars worth of damages you caused." both men handed over the money due and walked out.

The rest of the bars customers cheered. Apparently, they were happy that we had stooped the fight into progressing into something much worse.

I said nothing more as I began to walk upstairs to my bedroom. Yelling at people sure can take a lot outta ya!

I entered my room and changed into a tee-shirt and some sleep shorts before plopping down onto my bed. I thought about everything that happened today before drifting of to dreamland.


	4. Babysitting With Reno

A/N:Chapter 4!!!Please people!!!!PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!It would make me feel alot better to know what other people think about my writing!!I own nothing at all!Square Enix owns the characters, except for haley, because she's my character!And the lullaby, Constant as the stars above, is from some movie....i cant remember, but yea i dont own it!!!Please enjoy chapter 4!!

Chapter 4. Babysitting with Reno

"You want me to babysit them for HOW LONG?!"

"Its only for 2 days… not that long Haley! Besides, you're my only choice left!"

"Where's Cloud?" I asked her.

"He's on a delivery out to Gongaga for a few days. Please Haley!!!" Tifa begged.

"Yea sure I'll watch them."

"Great! OK here is a list of numbers in-case you need any help. The bar is closed for the rest of the week, so don't worry about customers coming in. Call me if you have any questions! OH! And Reno is on his way to over to help you! Bye!" WOAH!WOAH!WAIT!WOAH! Did she just say that Reno was on his way over to help me!?!? Oh Gaia help me now!!!

Tifa had left me in charge of babysitting Marlene and Denzel while she went out of town for a few days. I love babysitting them! They're so much fun to watch and we always have fun together. Plus, they don't whine and cry like some other kids do, which makes them a joy to watch. And they do what they're told so that's what also makes a plus.

But Reno!?!?!? Why the heck would she pick Reno as my helper?!!?!? He'll just be a bad influence on Marlene and Denzel, and then all hell will probably break lose!

I looked up at the clock to notice that it was 5:30. I figured I should probably start cooking dinner.

**"MARLENE, DENZEL?",** I shouted, **"WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER?"**

**"MACARONI PLEASE!"** they shouted back.

"**OK THEN!"** I started off for the kitchen when I heard the doors open.

"Sorry but were closed for the rest of the week. Im afraid you'll have to come back later." I said without turning around.

"Well that's a shame, but seeing as im here to babysit, I can just go through all the merchandise while im here."

"You do that, and Tifa will make sure you can never walk again." I turned to see Reno smirking at my comment.

"So, did she pay you to help me, or threaten you?" I asked him.

"No, she just asked me if I could watch to make sure nothing bad happened to you or the brats." Great…now I feel like the babysitted instead of the babysitter.

"And why do you care what happens to me?" I asked him.

"I dunno if I wanna tell you or not…." he gave me a devious grin, "but if you're a good girl, maybe ill tell you later."

I glared at him with hatred. "Well if you think you can do a better job than me, you can cook dinner then…." he stared at me as if I were telling a second grader to solve the equation of pi. "The kids want macaroni. Oh, and try not to burn it." I laughed evilly inside my head. I began towards the stairs, but a firm grip around my wrist kept me from moving.

"Oh no you don't! You're the babysitter, so you're gonna cook dinner, not me!" Reno said in an all to annoying voice.

"Well you're my helper, so You get to help." I pushed him into the kitchen and grabbed a pot and some macaroni. I ran some water in the pot and put it on the stove and turned it on, leaving it to boil the water. I noticed Reno trying to sneak off, and I ran and grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him back inside the kitchen.

"Nuh-unh! You have to stay right here!" I told him.

"But what if the brats are wreaking havoc upstairs? I should probably go see what the brats are up to?" once again, he tried to get away, but I pulled him back again.

"Oh please! The kids are perfect little angels! And don't call them brats!" I looked at him annoyed.

I turned around to pour the macaroni into the boiling water, hoping that it would finish cooking soon. Before I could even manage to move away from everything else, Reno tackled me and pinned me against the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked angrily. "Get off me!" I growled.

"Im only doing what you said: staying right here!"

"Yea, well I didn't mean to pin me against some wall you perv!" I squirmed under his grip, but I found it useless to even try to move. It was no use.

Reno only laughed at my attempts to get loose from his grip.

"Reno, I need to check the macaroni." I said trying to look around him to make sure nothing was on fire.

"Ok, ill go check." he pulled me along with him to see if the food was done, without letting me go.

"You need to put in the cheese." I said.

He reached over for the pack of powdered cheese and tore it open and poured it in and began to stir it around until all the cheese had settled in. I had noticed his grip on my wrist had loosened a little, so I took it as the perfect opportunity to get out of his grip. I slowly started to move away, almost out of his grip when I felt it tighten.

_'Crap… another failed attempt of escape…'_ I thought to myself

He turned around and had me pinned against the wall once more.

"Like I said kid, you're not going anywhere and im staying right here!"

"My name isn't kid!" I huffed angrily.

"Oh, sorry babe…" he said smugly. Ok, now he was really trying to piss me off!!!

"I hate you…" I simply stated.

"Yeah, sure you do…". He leant his face closer to mine, and I could actually smell his breath on my face. He was too distracted in trying to do whatever he was trying to do, so I took the opportunity and slipped out of his grasp and ran out of the kitchen.

"**MARLENE, DENZEL! DINNERS READY!!!!"** I shouted upstairs to the kids.

I walked back into the kitchen only to find Reno standing next to the pot of mac and cheese. He smirked at me when I came in.

"I knew you couldn't stand to be away from me…" oh how wrong he was.

"Uhh gross!!!!" I exclaimed, "And for that smut comment, **YOU** can set the table."

And for once, Reno did what he was asked without arguing back!! I could only imagine the angels above singing 'Halleluiah'. My thoughts were interrupted as Marlene and Denzel came running in the kitchen for their food.

"What do you all want to drink?" I asked.

"I want some milk please!" Marlene asked politely.

"Yea me too please!" Ahhh…such wonderful manners! Im so proud!

"Eh, seeing as the only stuff around here to drink tastes like shit, ill just have water." I glanced up at Reno with wide and angry eyes. This…is what I meant about Reno being a bad influence.

**"RENO!"** I exclaimed, "Don't talk like that at the dinner table! Especially around Marlene and Denzel!"

I sat the kids glasses of milk down in front of them. I practically almost poured Reno's water on him, but that would've made me a bad influence too, so I restrained myself from doing it….but who said I wouldn't do it later when Marlene and Denzel weren't around?

It remained silent at dinner, being as I had yelled at Reno for his language, and Marlene and Denzel were just thinking the smart thing to do was just not to ask, so they remained silent while they ate. That's when I felt someone's foot gently tapping my leg under the table, and I had no doubt on who it was. I ignored it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reno smirking at me, as I felt his foot make its way higher and higher up my leg. I continued to ignore it, but his smirk began to grow and he quietly began to laugh as my face grew red.

Marlene was the first to speak about my face. "Aunt Haley, do you not feel well? Your face is all red…" I smiled sweetly at her concern for me.

"No sweetie, I'm fine…just a little tired…" I said, "And annoyed…" I muttered under my breath. Reno apparently heard me, so he began to laugh a little louder as he stared at my reddening face. His foot was almost to my lap before I grabbed it.

This only made Reno smirk at me even more. I so wanted to slap that shitty smirk off his face right then.

"Aunt Haley, are you and Reno like…going out or something?" Right now… I really hate Denzel for asking that.

I was in the middle of drinking my glass of water, which I spitted out all over Reno. Man, the look on his face was priceless as the water got all over him. Where was the camera when you needed it? My face went warm and I probably looked like a tomato.

"Kids, your excused from dinner. Go upstairs, watch TV or something. I'll be upstairs in a minute, so pick a movie out." They quietly got up and put there dirty dishes in the sink and quietly left the kitchen and went upstairs.

"What the hell was that?!?!?" I practically shouted at Reno, once the kids left us alone.

"You're the one to talk! Why'd you have to spit your water on me!?!?"

"Well, you're the one who was being a bad influence by cussing at the table AND, playing footsie!!"

My last comment made him smirk at me.

"Oh come on Strifette…you know you loved it!"

My cheeks heated up as he said. That's when I noticed how close he was to me, and how backed up to the wall I was.

"I hate you Reno!" I simply stated, trying to look anywhere than at his face.

"Really? Then how come you're blushing at me being so close to you?" He smirked at me.

"My face is only red because its my way of showing how much I hate you!" I snapped.

He only laughed.

"Really? Well, would you hate me if I did this?" I understood what he meant when I saw him trying to stick his hand up my shirt, and I immediately stopped him from doing that by kicking his shin.

"If you had even accomplished what you were trying, I would've made the pain a lot more worse by kicking you where it hurts most." I glared at him threateningly as he hopped up and down on one leg.

He only glared back at me.

"Wimp…" I mumbled as I walked past him to pick up the remaining dishes on the table. I put them in this sink, and glanced over to see what the annoying Turk was doing now. He was leaning against the wall staring into space.

_'Weirdo…'I _thought to myself.

I began to actually feel bad for kicking him.

"Hey, Reno. If your shin still hurts, there's an icepack in the freezer if you wanna use it." I looked at him thoughtfully.

"Awww, little Strifette feels bad for kicking me." he said in an annoying tone. Even when I'm trying to be nice, he still has plenty of smut comments. Why do I even bother?

"I was just saying where the icepack was incase you needed it now or for future reference, you'd know where it is…" I said as moved to leave the kitchen

"Sure…" was all I heard come out of him.

I didn't say anything else to him as left the kitchen and began to walk upstairs. Hopefully, he wouldn't say anything else to make me want hurt him, or even worse, kill him.

_'Why Tifa? WHY?!?!?!? Why did you leave me here, alone with Reno, to babysit the kids?!?!?!? WHY RENO??!?!?!?WHY TIFA?!?!?!?WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYY?!?!?!?!' _I shouted in my head.

I was just about to step up on the last step, when I slipped and began to fall backwards.

_'Great, I'm nice to the Turk and my punishment is death by stairs…'_

I yelped as I began to fall backwards, but before I could even manage to fall down the stairs, I pair of warm hands encircled my waist, holding me in place.

"Shit Strifette, are you trying to kill yourself?" Reno muttered.

"Sheesh, thanks for saving my life Reno…" I sarcastically replied. But, I meant it though.

Before he could say anything else to me, I wriggled out of his grip and finished making my way upstairs. There, I found Marlene and Denzel looking through a whole bunch of movies we had.

"Hey, lets watch this one!" Denzel held up Transformers, showing it to Marlene, who, in return, gave him a face.

"No way! We always watch that! Lets watch this one!" Marlene held up some Barbie movie…. I gagged inwardly.

"OH GOD NO! We are so not watching that!" shouted Denzel.

"SAYS YOU!" Marlene shot back.

In under 5 seconds, they began to argue about the movies. I sighed loudly before I stepped up to take control of the situation.

"OK THAT'S ENOUGH!" I said sternly. They both stopped their arguing and looked up at me. At least that shut them up.

"If you two…" I pointed at both of them, "are gonna argue about it, then im picking out the movie! And neither one of you gets a say in it!" they looked at me quietly.

"Now are we clear?" I asked them.

"Yes ma'am." they both answered.

"Ok, lets see….what all do we have here?" I looked through all the movies that we had. I saw a lot that I wanted to watch, but they were to old for Marlene and Denzel so I set those aside for later. I looked through all the kids movies we had. That's when I saw what I thought everyone would like, and I knew that the kids already loved it.

"Ok…." I started, "Were going to watch The Land Before Time." I finished and looked at the kids, who smiled at my choice of movie.

"Denzel, you go make the popcorn, Marlene, you go get everyone something to drink, and Reno…well just sit there on the couch and don't do anything. I'll put the movie on." The kids went downstairs, leaving me and Reno upstairs….alone….all the sudden my stomach was doing flips.

Reno was sitting on the couch while I was putting all the movies that Marlene and Denzel had pulled out up.

"So what's up with you and yelling at little kids?" he asked out of nowhere.

"I wasn't yelling at them…I was taking control of the situation before they started to throw things."

Before he could say anything else, Denzel came back with a big bowl of popcorn, followed by Marlene with drinks for everyone.

"Great! Now is everyone ready?" I asked.

"Uh-huh!" Replied Marlene and Denzel.

"Whatever…" was all Reno said, which I implied was a yes.

I sat down on the couch next to Marlene, with Denzel on her other side, and Reno on my other side. I pressed play and the movie began.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"AWWW!!!!" I whispered, pointing at Marlene and Denzel, who were huddled together asleep.

"Its not even halfway through the movie…" was all Reno said.

"Well, its time for them to go to bed anyways." I got up and stood in front of the kids.

"Marlene, Denzel…" I said quietly.

They both opened their eyes sleepily to look at me.

"Time for bed. Come on, I'll tuck you in." They both got up and followed me to their room. They had put their Pajamas on before the movie, so they just had to crawl into bed and sleep.

They both got in their beds and I covered them up. I gave them both 'good-night kisses' on their foreheads and was fixing to walk out of the room when Marlene spoke.

"Aunt Haley…could you sing us the lullaby about the stars?" I smiled at her, knowing which one she was talking about.

"Of course." I went and sat down on her bed.

_'Constant as the stars above_

_Always know that you are loved_

_And my love shining in you_

_Will help you make your dreams come true_

_Will help your dreams come true_

_The lamb lies down and rests its head_

_On its mother's downy bed_

_Dolphin plays in the moonlights glow_

_And butterfly dreams of a violet rose_

_Dreams of a violet rose'_

I began to remember how my mother would sing the same lullaby to me and Cloud every night when we were little. And it always helped us fall asleep..

_'I'll cradle you in my arms tonight_

_As sun embraces the moonlight_

_The clouds will carry us off tonight_

_Our dreams will run deep like the sea_

_Our dreams will run deep like the sea_

_'Constant as the stars above_

_Always know that you are loved_

_And my love shining in you_

_Will help make your dreams come true'_

They both had already fallen asleep so I finished the last verse quietly

_'Will help…your dreams…Come….True….'_ I quietly shut the door as I left and, when I turned around, I found Reno leaning against the wall, smiling at me.

I glanced at him for a moment before returning back to couch and TV. Of course, he followed me.

I sat down on the couch, looking through the stack of movies I had set aside to watch earlier. Reno plopped down next to me.

"Ya know…I didn't know you could sing." I turned to look at him.

"I didn't know that it mattered…" I said.

"Where did you learn that song?" he changed the subject of me singing to learning a song.

"My mother used to sing it to me when I was little…It would always help me go to sleep.." I smiled fondly of the memories of her always singing it to me and cloud.

"Oh….so what do you want to do now?" he asked.

I went back through looking through the movies I had set aside for later until I had found one I liked.

"Lets watch another movie." I said. Reno just shrugged his shoulder.

I got up and went over to the TV to put in Jurassic Park.

I walked back after I had put the movie in, and plopped back down next to Reno. He was surprisingly quiet, but I swore I heard him mutter "This should be fun."

30 minutes later:

It was only 30 minutes into the movie, and here I am, trying to keep the sleeping Reno from falling over on me.

"Dear Gaia!! How much do you weigh man!?!?!" I muttered under my breath. Reno, only fell over, asleep, in my lap.

'I give up!' I shouted in my mind. There was no point in even bothering to try to prop him up anymore, so I just let him lay there.

I looked at his sleeping face. He looked so….not mean while he was sleeping and….cute…..WOAH!!!CUTE!?!?!?!?

Without thinking, I found my finger drawing the outline of his face. His tattoos under his eyes really brought out his face, especially his eyes. And his lips…looked so soft and kissable….

I felt my cheeks heat up at the thought of kissing Reno and my stomach began to do flips. I turned my gaze away from his lips and back to his tattoos, only to find his eyes wide open, staring at me intently. That's when I realized my finger was still on his lips. He smirked at me as I pulled them away quickly and looked anywhere but at him.

"Well? Are you gonna get your fat head outta my lap or what?!?!" I spat out.

"Nah….think I like it here better." he smiled smugly.

"Please Reno….move." I said quietly.

"Fine." and with that he got up. Once he was up, I was running to my bedroom.

"Haley? What's wrong?" I heard Reno ask. I ignored him as I continued running towards my bedroom, and I could hear him following me. I ran inside my room and shut the door in his face, locking quickly.

"Haley….Haley open the door?" I heard Reno's muffled voice outside my door. He knocked on it a few times, but I never said anything. Then, he started beating on it! While, turkey boy was trying to break it down, I had put on pajamas and was standing away from my door.

Why did I run away you ask? Well, if you thought it was from pure embarrassment from Reno's head being in my lap, you're partially right, but that's not the exact reason I fled. It was because I realized something that I'm completely sure I like. That 'something' would be I like Reno….not 'like' but ya know…'MAJOR LIKE'!!!

And im not exactly sure how I feel about it.

"Shit Haley…Why do you have to be so much damn trouble?" Reno mumbled outside my door. That's when I heard a type of clicking noise coming from my door. That's when I realized what he was doing.

'OH SHIT' I thought inwardly.

He was picking the lock on my door.

I had nowhere to hide or run. I was stuck.

The doorknob turned and the door opened. I had my back facing the door, so I wouldn't have to look at Reno when he came through the door.

"So…you wanna tell me why you ran off like that?" he asked.

"I…just wanted some space…." LIES!!!!

'Like he's gonna believe that Haley…'

"Well, that's not what it looked like to me."

"And what did it look like to you Reno?" I asked, keeping my back towards him.

He didn't say anything. The only thing I could hear were his footsteps, moving towards me. Then, they stopped, and I felt his breath on my neck. He was right behind me.

He leaned in and whispered into my ear.

"It looked like you were running away from something." His breath sent shivers down my spine.

He had know idea how right he was. I was running away from something…. I was running away from my feelings. But…WHY?

I remained silent. I was afraid to tell him I was running away from feelings for him. I didn't want to screw anything up. When I didn't say anything to him, I felt his hands go around my waist. My breathing became harder, and my stomach was doing all sorts of flips.

"Let me go Reno."

He only tightened his grip.

"Not until you sit down and tell me what's wrong." he retorted.

I harshly moved out of his grip and sat down on my bed. I looked up at him and crossed my arms across my chest.

"Now…are you gonna tell me what's eating ya?"

"Like I said before….I just wanted some space." The look an his face was the 'Im not buyin it' look.

"Look, just tell me the truth….im not gonna leave you alone until you tell me." He came and sat down next to me on my bed.

"Reno…" I sighed, "Its sorta….something personal…not something I wanna talk to a dude about…."

"Ahhh….gotch' ya!" And he didn't press the question anymore.

We just sat there in silence for a few minutes…..a very AWKWARD silence actually. Then, I began to realize how tired I was.

I broke the silence with a very loud yawn.

"Listen, you're gonna need a sleeping bag or you're gonna have to sleep on the couch. What's it gonna be?" I asked him.

"Sleeping bag….your couch is shitty and uncomfortable." he retorted.

"Thanks for insulting my couch turkey man. Come on, lets go find you a sleeping bag."

5minutes later:

After searching almost everywhere upstairs, we finally found a sleeping bag!

"Just set it anywhere." I told Reno.

"Ok, thanks."

"Well…I'm tired…sooooooooo im gonna go to bed. Night!" I left him to go to my room, where my bed awaited me, welcoming me to come sleep in it. I shut my door behind me and walked over to my and got in.

'Ahhh….peace and quiet at last' I thought to myself.

Of course, I couldn't have spoken too soon.

My bedroom door opened and in came, of all people, Reno, sleeping bag in hand. I was to tired to bother yelling at him to leave, so I just let him come in. He laid his sleeping bag down on the floor next to my bed. He laid down on it and was silent.

Once I figured he wasn't gonna say anything at all, I closed my eyes and I heard him mumble something.

"Good night babe…" was all he said.

I smiled at him, and let myself drift off into a nice, deep sleep.


	5. Nightmares and guilty feelings

A/N: Chapter Five! Ok, really people, I only have 1 review...ONE REVIEW! Please review, because i dont no how good this story is to you guys!

Disclaimer: I dont own Final Fantasy 7. Only the plot of this story and certain characters that i created.

'You did it…you're the reason she's dead….'

'No…NONONONONO!!!! It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault!'

'Oh…? If you had stayed home with her, you might've had the chance to help her…but no. You had to go off and train with your fighting skills so you could protect her and yourself….but look where it got you…you're no protector. You couldn't even protect and save your own mother…face it Haley…you're not fit to protect your friends and family, if you couldn't even help your own mother.'

'NO!!!!!SHUT-UP!!!!'

'It's your fault…'

'LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!GO AWAY!!!!'

'It's your fault Haley.'

'LEAVE ME ALONE YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!GO AWAY!!!!!'

'She's dead because of you.'

'NO!!!!!!!'

'……your fault…'

'SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!'

'your fault.'

'AGHHHHHHHHH!'

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!" I shot up in my bed, my face tearstained and sweaty. I panted heavily.

"Haley?! What's wrong?!?" I felt someone's hand touch my shoulder.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" I screamed at the person.

I started rocking back and forth, knees pulled up to my chest.

"Haley….?" the voice asked with concern. The lamp on my nightstand was turned on, only to light the room, and Reno, who was now sitting in front of me on the bed, looking at me concerned with hand gripping my shoulder.

"Reno….?" I asked, choking threw sobs.

"Yea….?" he stared at me with a confused look.

I reached out and put my hand on his face. He felt real, and looked real…

"It was only a nightmare…" I whispered to myself….An AWFUL nightmare!!!!

And right then, I broke into numerous tears and sobs, while rocking back and forth.

"It-its m-my-fa-faul-fault!" I choked out.

Reno moved quickly to me, and embraced me.

"What? Nothings your fault!!! You didn't do anything!" I ignored what he said and continued crying.

"its my fault….she's gone and its because of me…"I cried once more.

"Shhhh….it's ok….I got you…you're ok…you're alright…" Reno cooed. He continued holding me as I cried.

I wrapped my arms around him as I cried, letting my tears wet his unkempt and un-tucked shirt.

After what seemed like hours of crying and holding, my eyes eventually ran out of tears. I pulled away from Reno and looked at my alarm clock, which read 4:30 AM.

"You wanna go back to sleep?" Reno asked. The last thing I need right now is sleep.

I shook my head, and turned to look at him. The front of his shirt was all wrinkled and wet from me burying my face into it and crying. I looked at his gorgeous aquamarine eyes. They were filled with concern and care…something that Reno isn't really all about at times, but he can be when he tries.

"You gonna be ok now?" his voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I nodded my head and put on a small smile. I gave him a smile in return. I stood up from the bed and started to walk out of the room, but my legs were all wobbly, and I began to fall.

"WOAH! I gotch' ya!" Reno said as he caught me from falling. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he suddenly put his arm behind my knees and lifted me up bridal style.

I looked at him with shock and surprise. He laughed at my response.

"Well, I cant have you falling down the stairs or anything! Who would cook for the kids?!" I laughed slightly at his comment as we made our way out of my room to the kitchen downstairs.

"So you want anything to drink? Coffee? Water? Juice? Milk?…..Beer?" I slightly gagged at the last one. I mean, who wants beer at 4 in the morning?

"Coffee, please…." I quietly replied.

"OK, then that's 2 coffees coming right up then!" Reno said as he looked for the coffee mix in the cabinets.

"Ummm…Reno…?" I asked. I noticed that he was still carrying me around.

"Hmm?" he grunted.

"You, can…you know…put me down now."

"Aha! Found it!" He pulled out the coffee mix and walked us over to the coffee pot that already had the water in it. He put the mix in the maker and turned it on. The coffee machine came to life.

"Oh….what were you saying Strifette?"

"I was asking you if you could please put me down." I said once more.

"Huh..? Oh, yea sure!" He walked over to the table and sat me down in a chair.

"Thank you." I mumbled.

He just grunted in response while he stood leaning against the counter, waiting for the coffee to finish.

'Its your fault…' Stupid voice!

I closed my eyes, and tried to think of other things to block out the annoying voice, that actually made me feel…..guilty.

"So….you wanna talk about it?" I looked up at the sound of Reno's voice, only to find his face filled with concern.

He moved a chair from the table and sat it in front of me. He then filled the empty chair by sitting in it.

"It was nothing…just a bad dream…" A VERY bad dream, I added silently.

"You wanna tell me what it was about? Im all ears..."

Do I want to really tell a Turk about one of the most possible worst nightmares ever? Of course, my mouth started moving before I could even stop it.

"There was…a voice….It kept blaming me, saying it was my fault…" I softly said.

"A voice…Ok. So what was it saying was your fault?" Reno asked.

"It said that it's my fault…that my mom is dead." I winced at the recollection of the voice telling me that.

Reno said nothing. He only stared at me silently.

"It said that she was dead…because of me for being so selfish. Because I wasn't around to protect her…or save her! I was to busy with learning to fight and protect myself and her….and look where that got me! NOWHERE!!! I should have stayed home that day…and protected her….I should've died too!!!! ITS MY FAULT!!!!!" I screamed out the last part as I burst into tears hard sobs.

Reno wrapped his arms around me as shook from the sobs.

"Stop it! Its not your fault…it was never your fault. You're not selfish! It wasn't your fault and no one is blaming you." He said as he held me. Sure, the only one blaming me is me….and I don't know why.

"But why does it feel like it?" I asked him, my voice muffled into his chest.

"I don't know…that's something I cant tell you…but I can tell you this…its never been your fault. So don't listen to that voice! You tried to help her, but you couldn't. The only thing that matters is that you at least tried to do something." For once….something that he actually said made perfectly common sense. I tried…I tried to save her. And she was glad that I did try….its not my fault! I didn't do anything wrong. I was learning how to protect her and myself….I was trying do something about it.

I sniffled. I had stopped crying once I came to the realization that it wasn't my fault.

"You know…for once, you actually said something that makes perfect sense…You're right. It isn't my fault she's dead. And I shouldn't feel guilty about anything at all." I looked up at his face and smiled softly. "Thank you, Reno."

He smiled at what I just said. "No problem. But…I was wondering if I could ask you for something."

I stood up and my way over to the coffee pot when he asked that question.

'Lemme guess…you want beer? No, you want money?' I silently thought to myself.

"And what would that be?" I asked.

He stood up quickly and made his way over to me. He kept moving closer, as I moved backwards until my back hit the wall. He stood in front of me. He was so close, that I could feel his breath on my face. I turned my attention to the shirt he was wearing, noticing that he wasn't wearing his blazer that he normally wears. His white button up shirt was, as usual, un-tucked and wrinkled. His shirt buttons were all undone, except for the very last two, which showed his bare chest. I blushed as I stared at his chest, noticing how you could tell how built he was. I looked up at his face, which held a cocky grin. His hair was in its usual style, sticking up almost everywhere and in a pony tail. His goggles were in their usual place on his head. He apparently never takes them off.

"What are you doing?" I asked, pointing out how my personal bubble was being invaded by him.

"Oh nothing…." he only smirked at me as I gave him a look.

"Uh-huh…." and then he started to lean in.

'DEAR LEVIATHAN HELP ME NOW!' I thought to myself.

He got closer and closer, and I got more and more uncomfortable.

I stopped his mouth from even coming closer to my face, by putting my hand over it.

"What…In the name…Of Gaia…Do you think you're doing Reno?!?!"

"Getting what I asked for." I removed my hand to see him pouting…Yes. Pouting.

"Oh, really? Because, if I heard correctly, you asked for something…not for whatever you were trying to do back there." I retorted.

He smirked at me before speaking again. "Oh, you so wanted it babe. I could see it in your eyes. You know you want me."

"…" nothing….I said nothing, because he had no idea how right he was…I liked him…A LOT!!! And im positive about that now. I like Reno.

"AHA! So you do want me!" Reno was grinning like a little kid in a candy store.

"Hahahaha!!!!!"I burst out laughing for no reason, "In your dreams lover boy! There is NO WAY, you could handle the awesomeness that is me. I, Haley Strife, younger sister of Cloud Strife, hero of the planet, am so awesome, that you find it irresistible!!! But, there is no way you could handle my awesome being!"

He leaned back in closer than before, our faces now inches apart. "Wanna bet?"

"Nope! I just want my morning caffeine!" Without even realizing what hit him, I pinned Reno against the wall and ran over to the coffee pot to pour me some into a mug.

"Jeeze, you're strong…." I heard Reno mutter.

"And that, is part of the essence of my awesomeness!" I replied, sipping on my coffee…Mmmm! Nothing like coffee in the morning!

"Yea, and there are a lot of other things part of your awesomeness.." Reno said with a smug smile.

"Grossness….."

"You know you love me babe."

"Last time I checked, my name wasn't 'babe'! My name is Haley! H-A-L-E-Y….Haaaallllleeeeyyy. Got it? Good!"

"Whatever babe." Alas, nice Reno, went back to being annoying Reno.

"Why do I even bother?" I mumbled.

And that's when it happened. Reno walked by over to me and grabbed my coffee mug out of my hand and poured it out in to the sink. ALL of it!!!!!

"What the-! What the hell was that for?!?!? That was my damn coffee!!! You poured my coffee down the sink!!! Why?!?!?" What kinda game was this guy trying to play?! No one should waste perfectly good coffee! NO ONE!!!!!!!

"Why Reno! Why would you do such a horrible thing to good coffee!! WHY RENO!?!?WHY!?!?" I whined.

"Because I wouldn't be able to do this if you had a boiling hot drink in your hand." He grabbed my chin and pulled me towards him.

"Wha-?!" Before I could even finish what I was about to say, he crushed his lips against mine. And it felt…good. I slid my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, and I tangled my hands in his messy red hair. This went on for about 5 minutes until we broke apart, panting.

"I knew you wanted me babe." he panted breathlessly.

I smiled at him as I rolled my eyes at his comment.

"Well, you didn't have to pour my coffee down the drain….but im glad you did."

"I knew you would be!" He smirked at me.

"Well, I think ill go take a shower….alone." I added the last part when I saw the look on Reno's face.

I left him standing in the kitchen as I walked back up the stairs to my bedroom to get some clean clothes and hit the shower.

Last night, I was afraid of my feelings for a Turk…but now, im actually glad I have those feelings.


	6. Geting sick and phone call to Teef

A/N:Ok, sorry if this chapter isnt very long and entertaining, but i hope you guys still like it anyways. As usual, i do not own final fantasy 7. I only own this story plot and characters that i made up.

Chapter 6: Getting sick, and a phone call to Teef

"Ahhh….much better!" I said to myself after I stepped out of the bathroom after a nice shower. I looked at the clock on the wall, which said it was already 7:00 AM. Geez, time sure fly's!

"Well, its about time you got outta there!" I turned to see Reno sitting on the couch, watching some TV show.

"Well, if I had know you wanted me to bless you with my wonderful presence, I would have been out sooner!" I retorted.

I sat down next to him and pulled my knees up to my chest. I started to watch the TV, but I immediately stopped when I felt Reno's arm snake around my shoulders. Of course, I couldn't resist, so I leaned over and laid my head on his chest. We stayed like that for several minutes, in silence, taking in each others presence. Of course, there had to be something to ruin the moment.

Tiny footsteps broke us out of our cuddling. I looked over to see Marlene running towards me.

"Marlene?! What are you doing up so early? What's wrong?" I asked her, with a panic filled voice.

"Its Denzel…Something's wrong with him!" Before she could say anymore, I shot out of the room, towards the kids bedroom.

I walked in to find Denzel, laying in bed. I walked over and sat on the bed next to Denzel.

"Denzel, sweetie….can you tell me what's wrong?" I asked in soft voice.

He groaned before answering. "Unghh…Everything hurts."

I placed my hand gently to his forehead. He was burning up with what was probably a very high fever.

Marlene came in, followed by Reno.

"Marlene, go get me the thermometer from the kitchen." She nodded her head before running out of the room for the kitchen. Reno walked in and sat beside me on the bed.

"Here." I looked up to see him holding out a damp washcloth. "It'll help cool him off a little." I smiled at his kindness for Denzel.

I took the damp cloth from his hands and placed it gently on Denzel's forehead, when Marlene came in, thermometer in hand.

"Here." I took the device from her hands, turned it on, and place it in Denzel's mouth. It only took 45 seconds for it to come back with a reading. I took it out of his mouth and looked at what it said. What it read shocked me.

"Dear Gaia…" He was running a temperature of 105.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which is WAY above normal.

Reno stood up and placed his chin on my shoulder, trying to see what I was so shocked about. I felt him stiffen as he saw the numbers.

"That's not good."

I shook my head in agreement with him. He was right…It was not good. Whatever Denzel has is very possibly contagious. And the last thing I need is another sick child while Tifa is gone.

"Marlene, until Denzel gets better, you're not allowed to sleep in here or come in here." She looked up at me with a sad face.

"But…where will I sleep?"

"You can sleep in my room until he gets better. I'll be sleeping in here, so I can make sure he doesn't get any sicker."

"Ok." her expression was still a little sad, but at lest she understands.

"Marlene, grab some of your clothes and things, and go take them and put them in my room for now. Don't come back in here, unless I say so." She did as she was told immediately and quickly left the room.

"You told the kid that she couldn't sleep in here, because what he has could very well be contagious, and yet, YOU'RE gonna sleep in here?" Reno asked me.

"Reno, I have to take care of him. I don't need two little kids both sick. And im supposed to care of BOTH of them…and by keeping Marlene away from him while he's sick is taking care of them."

"Yea, but what happens if you get sick?" He looked at me, concern swirling in his aquamarine eyes.

"We'll figure that out if it comes to that." I pulled my PHS out of my pocket, and searched for Tifa's number until I found. I pressed the call button.

Ring, Ring, Ring, Rin-_'Hello?'_

"Tifa!"

_'Haley? Hi!!! What's up?…Is something wrong?'_ Tifa's voice sounded full of worry at the moment.

"Yea…its Denzel…he's really sick. He has a fever of 105.5." I heard her gasp at what I had just told her.

_'OHMYGOD!!!! I'll be home as soon as I can!'_

"Wait, Teef, I have everything-" the other line clicked off. "under control." At least, I thought I did.

"What did she say." Reno asked.

"That she'll be home as soon as she can." I sighed loudly.

I looked back over at Denzel, who at the moment, looked completely pitiful. It just broke my heart.

"I hope she gets home fast." Reno said.

"Yea…me too."


	7. Taking care of Denzel

A/N:Yay! chapter seven! And thank you to all of you who have reviewed this story, but im still not seeing a lot of them, so bring on the reviews! As usual, i dont own any of the Final Fantasy characters. Just this plot line and Haley. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 7:Taking care of Denzel

It's been several hours already, and Denzel's fever hasn't gone down any at all. I have no idea when Tifa will exactly be home, and I don't when Cloud will be home either. Reno is still here, helping me take care of everything. I told him I think we need a doctor, but he says that whatever is wrong with Denzel, it's probably something the doctors cant help. We've been trying to get plenty of fluids in Denzel, and so far, its been working. When Denzel had Geostigma, it was much worse than the condition he is in right now, but I don't ever remember there being a fever with it, especially one this high. And right now…I'm having a feeling that this is much worse than the stigma.

Reno walking in the room broke me out of my thoughts. I noticed he had a cup of something steaming in it.

"Here. This should help you relax a little." He handed me the warm cup of liquid.

"Thank you." I sipped the warm liquid, which tasted like some type of tea. It tasted wonderful.

Reno sat down next to me on the other bed, with a cup of tea in his hands as well.

"How is he?" he asked after taking a sip of from his own cup.

"No improvements….his fever is still extremely high. He says everything still hurts when I ask. If I don't know what he has, then I cant treat it." I sadly said.

Reno draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me over to lean on him. I felt him plant a soft kiss in my hair.

"We'll figure out what's wrong with him…." was all he said. I drank what was left of my tea, and placed my empty cup on the night table.

I looked at the sickly, sleeping Denzel. It reminded me of how I would be when I was sick. I remember eating lots of soup and tea, and plenty of medicine.

_Flashback: _

_A little girl laid in her bed, sick and sleeping. Her mother came in with a tray of soup and tea._

_"Ok, sweetie. Sit up so you can eat your soup." The little girl stirred, and sat up, eager for her mothers homemade soup. The little girl picked up a spoon and quickly began eating her soup, which she finished right away."YUM!" The little girl chided, delighted by the delicious soup she had just mother chuckled at her response, pleased that her daughter had enjoyed the soup._

_"Would like some more?"_

_"No thank you mommy."_

_"Ok. Im going to go put these in the sink, and then ill be right back." The mother said as she stood up from the bed, picking up the tray with the empty bowl and cup, and then walking out of the room. A few minutes later, she came back in and sat back down on the bed._

_"When is Cloud coming back home from school?" The little girl asked, wanting to see her big brother right away._

_"About another hour and he'll be home. Why?"_

_"I just miss him."_

_"Well, instead worrying about your brother, you should be busy sleeping." _

_"But im not sleepy!" The little girl stated, giving a very loud yawn to go along with her sentence. This caused her mother to laugh a little._

_"Lay down, and I'll sing you to sleep!" Her mother ordered, and the child obeyed._

_Her mother tucked her in a little, and started to sing quietly, the child singing along with her._

_'Imba wimbo wa upepo_

_Wakati unajiwa na_

_Imba wimbo wa upepo_

_Wakati udoto tamu _

_Lala impalka _

_Usiku usheni_

_Upepo wa _

_Usiku_

_Wimbo wakona'_

_The little girl fell asleep after the first three lines of the song, proving to her mother that she was very tired._

_Her mother chuckled quietly before getting up quietly and placing a kiss on the child's forehead._

_"Goodnight…..Haley."_

_End Flashback:_

"Maybe some soup….would help him." I quietly said, thinking of how soup had helped me when I was sick.

"Soup…?" Reno asked, confused by why I had suggested soup.

"Well, I remember when I got sick, my mother would make this special homemade soup, and would always work to help get us better. I could probably….oh…never mind. It probably wont work on Denzel though."

"Why not?"

"Because, well, he doesn't have a cold." I remember only being fed the homemade soup when I had a cold.

"Oh…so what do we do then?"

"Continue figuring out possibilities of what he has." I answered. "Plus, since we don't know what's exactly wrong with him, we cant give him any medicine."

"……"

It had been several hours since I had checked Denzel's temperature, so I picked up the thermometer and place it in his mouth and waited for it to come back with a reading. When it did, it was still at 105.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

"HALEY IM BACK! WHERE IS HE?!?!" I looked towards the doorway to see a very concerned Tifa running through and towards Denzel's bed.

"Thank Leviathan you're back…" I mumbled quietly.

"What's wrong with him?" Tifa asked me as she sat down on Denzel's bed.

"That…I don't know. I cant do anything to help him, so you should probably be the one to take care of him since you have more experience than I do in situations like these."

"Where's Marlene?" Tifa asked, while looking around the room for the little girl.

"She's in my room. I told her she would have to stay in there until we figured out what was wrong with him, and if it was contagious. And im starting to think that it's probably not contagious." I replied.

"You both look like you're exhausted." Tifa said, gesturing to me and Reno.

"Yea, we kinda are. We've been up since really early this morning."

"Go back to sleep. I'll take care of the kids."

"Ok. If you need us, just call us." I said while we walked out of the room.

I saw Marlene sitting on the couch, all the things that she had grabbed from earlier next to her. She was watching cartoons. Neither Reno, or I made any gesture to notice she was there. We just walked past her and into my bedroom. I walked over to my bed and collapsed on to it, while Reno shut my door quietly.

"Im…so…frickin… tired!!!!" I mumbled into my pillow.

"Yea me too. At least you didn't have to sleep on the damn floor all night. Now move over and make some room." Reno huffed. I didn't feel like yelling at him, so I rolled over and made room for him. I felt him climb in and pull the covers over us.

"When I wake up, I expect my clothes and yours to still be on." I shot him a warning glare as he moved closer to me.

"Kinda late for that now." I didn't no what he meant, until he pulled me against his very bare chest.

"Eh, this is fine…just keep your pants on, ok?" I mumbled into his chest.

"Yea, ok…" He mumbled sleepily.

We both fell asleep right away.


	8. A very Angry Cloud

Chapter 8. A very angry Cloud

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I heard someone shout as I felt the bed jolt me awake.

"Whaaa-" I opened my eyes to see what the source of noise that had woken me up was.

When I I opened them, I was greeted by the sight of my brother throwing Reno against the wall.

"Cloud! STOP!" I shouted as I jumped out of the bed and over to the wall. I Grabbed onto the back of Clouds shirt and began trying to pull him away. "CLOUD, LET HIM GO!" I managed to pull him off of him, amazingly, and I was immediately met by the angry glare of mako eyes. Uh-oh…..

"Why is he in here! Better yet, why is he even here at all?" Cloud shouted angrily.

I was fixing to yell at him, but Tifa ran into the room before I could say anything.

"What's going on here?" She shouted as she came in. When she saw clouds angry face, and Reno against the wall, she registered what had just happened and put a hand on Clouds shoulder.

"Cloud, calm down…." She said calmly.

"Calm down….CALM DOWN?" Either he didn't know what the words calm down meant, or he had just gone completely crazy.

"Cloud…." I said softly.

"Don't you Cloud me!" He shouted at me as he towered over me and got into my face. He started yelling at me again, and this time I lost my cool. I slapped my hand across his cheek as tears began to fall out of my eyes.

"Get…out…NOW!" I snarled as he looked at me with a shocked expression.

"Cloud, GO NOW!" Tifa commanded. He did as he was told and left to go downstairs. "Reno, I'll bring up an icepack for you, ok?"

"Yea, thanks…" Reno mumbled.

Tifa walked out of the room, but not before handing me a box of tissues. I gladly took them and mumbled a "Thank you" before she walked out of my room, quietly closing the door behind her. I walked over to the bed, and sat down, pulling a tissue from the box and wiping my eyes with it, then blowing my nose. I wasn't crying just because I was mad, but I was embarrassed and sad at what had just happened. Right now, I just want to go dig a whole and bury myself in it.

"Are you ok?" I mumbled to Reno.

"Yeah…I guess…" He answered back.

It stayed awkward and silent until Tifa re-entered the room with an icepack for Reno.

"Reno, I think you should probably leave." Tifa suggested. I couldn't help but agree with her.

"Yea, I think so too. Well, I guess I'll see 'ya later Strifette…" I nodded in response and mumbled a 'bye' to him.

After he had left, Tifa came and sat down next to me on my bed.

"So…what's going on between you and Reno?"

I sighed. "…Im not really sure…"

"Cloud's really upset…he told me what he saw when he got in here."

Stupid Cloud. "Well, it's not what it looked like…we weren't doing anything wrong!"

"I know, and honestly, I think he overreacted a little too much." She wrapped me into a comforting hug.

"A little?" I asked sarcastically.

"I think you two should talk."

I shrugged in response. I didn't care, just as long as he didn't yell.

"Well, im gonna go check on Denzel." She got up and left.

I laid back down and closed my eyes, and drifted back off to sleep.

About an hour later------

"Haley?"

"What?" I mumbled sleepily as I heard someone call my name from the other side of my door.

"Can I come in?"

"Whatever…" I kept my face buried into my pillow as I heard the door open and footsteps approach my bed.

I felt my bed sink down from the weight of my visitor on the other half of my bed.

"Haley?"

"What do 'ya want?" I peeked out from my pillow and was met with mako eyes of my chocobo head of brother.

"We need to talk."

"What do you want Cloud?" I rolled my face off my pillow on laid on back and stared up at my ceiling.

"Look…about earlier…"

"Yea?" I refused to look at him.

"Im sorry…."

"I cant believe you Cloud! Why would you do that! It's not like I was dying! You always jump to the worst possible conclusions! Im not a child anymore! Im 22! I can take care of myself!"

Now, don't get me wrong and all, but I love Cloud. He's the only blood-relative I have left, and he is very important to me. But…what I don't love about Cloud, is his over protectiveness. I mean, you saw how he reacted when I told him that Reno sat on the roof of the church with me! IM NOT A BABY ANYMORE! Besides, if Reno even did try something on me, I know how to kill and make it look like an accident….not that im planning on killing him or anything!

"I know…and I'm really sorry…I didn't mean to make you so upset, that you'd cry." He looked off to the wall, a very sad and guilty expression on his face….crap…it was 'the face' that made me feel so guilty about being so mean to him.

"I forgive you…And im sorry that I slapped you. I was just…angry."

"No, I deserved that…so…are we okay now?"

I smiled a little and nodded my head. "Yea…we're okay."

Later that day, I decided to pay a visit to the church and see how the flowers were doing. As old as it was, and how much damage that had been done to it over the years, it still stood up, which is what made it kinda special to me, despite the fact that it was Aerith's favorite place, which is why I often visit the church.

I reached the church and with a push to the doors and a loud creak, they opened up, revealing the inside of the church and the flowers in the middle, surrounding the water that washed away the Geostigma. I walked over and sat in the flowers and thought. I missed Aerith. Right then, something big happened. I was thrown into some other place that was very…white, and had a field of flowers around it. I thought I was alone, but I felt a presence behind me.

_Aerith's Piano theme begins:_

_"You came. Even after all this time, you're still as strong and bright as I remember. So, Haley…why did you come?" Aerith…_

"To get away from everything…from Cloud." I said, looking ahead of me.

_"Why?"_

I sighed. "Even after all that's happened, he still hasn't forgiven the Turks, even though they sort of are our allies now. He's mad at me, because I've found it in my heart to forgive one." I felt her place a hand on my arm, gently squeezing it.

_"Who?"_

"Reno…"

_"Don't worry…he'll learn to forgive eventually…his heart is still healing…just give him time."_

"Aerith…why did you go?" I asked.

_"Because….my friends needed me to help them…and I did. Those that we lose, may be gone….but the memories they leave behind, never go away. That's the truth…."_

I was back to the church, sitting in the flowers like I never left. I smiled to myself, before making my way out of the church, but I stopped and knelt back in the flowers, and clasped my hands together and prayed.

_'Thank you…Aerith.'_

* * *

A/N: YAY! We got to see Aerith again! Ok, so next chapter will be up soon, so give me plenty of Reviews for this one, ok? You guys that have reviewed are amazing and you rock! LATERS!


	9. Remembering the Day Cloud Left

A/N: 'Kay, so I would like to thank xxDarkAssassinxx for the reviews! They are very positive, and I like it that you like my story so much! Cookie for your awesomeness! Any who, to the story!

Disclaimer: As I have told you peoples so many times, I sadly don't own Final Fantasy VII ;(. As much as I would like to, I would probably be taken to court for claiming it as mine. I only own my story and characters.

* * *

Chapter 9. Remembering the Day Cloud Left

I quietly entered the bar upon returning from the church. On my way back, I had received some good news about Denzel's condition, and that he only had a really bad stomach virus, which meant less worrying for me. Tifa was washing the counter of the bar when I walked in.

"Did you and Cloud work things out?" She asked, washing a glass.

"Yeah….we did." I smiled at her before retreating to my room upstairs. When I walked in and turned on the lights, it was the first time I noticed that it was actually quite messy. I sighed, before making my way over to my desk. I pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper to doodle on, but when shut the drawer to it, a picture frame fell over. I picked it up to look at it, and I smiled slightly at the photograph. It was a picture my mother had taken of me and Cloud the day he left to become a SOLDIER. I had been about 14 or 15 when it had been taken in front of our house in Nibelheim. That was a very interesting day…

Flashback to 8 years ago:

_"Cloud, why do you have to go?" Haley asked, pouting at the thought of her favorite and only brother._

_"I don't want to stay here forever. I wanna learn how to fight and protect people…I want to become a SOLDIER." He said, continuing placing clothes in his duffle bag._

_"But don't you like it here with me and mom? Do you not love us anymore?"_

_"No, of course I love you guys! I always will! I just-!"_

"_THEN WHY ARE YOU LEAVING US? WHY CANT YOU STAY HERE AND PROTECT US!" Haley shouted, glaring her brother down angrily._

_"I just want to be able to make sure that you and mom can live somewhere safely…and that means becoming SOLDIER."_

_"Whatever."_

_Before Cloud could say anymore, the two teens mother entered the room, a camera in one of her hands._

_"Ok, before Cloud leaves, I want to take a picture of both of you first! Cloud dear, are you finished packing?"_

_"Yea."_

_"Good! Lets take it out front then!"_

_The family walked out to the front of the yard, and the two teens stood in front of their home, their mother standing behind the camera._

_"Ok, you two, smile!" Cloud smiled, and Haley did as well, although she really didn't mean it._

_"Ok, Cloud you better get down to the station. I don't want you to miss your train to Midgar!" His mother put on a smile as she walked over to him to give him a hug as a mother would when one of her children would leave home. When she broke off the embrace, she had tears in her eyes. Cloud turned to younger Strife sibling, a questioning look on his face. With a roll of her eyes, she approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest._

_"Promise to write and visit as soon as you can?" She mumbled into his chest._

_"Sure…I promise….Promise me you'll take care of you and mom?"_

_She chuckled slightly. "I promise…I'll walk down to the station with you."_

_"Bye mom! I'll write when I can, and I'll visit when I can too!" Cloud shouted as he and May set off for the station._

_"Bye sweetie! BE CAREFUL!" His mother shouted from the front door of the house._

_"I WILL!"_

_Mrs. Strife watched her two children walk off until she couldn't see them anymore._

_"So," Haley said as they stopped in front of the train. "I guess this is it."_

_"Yeah…I guess it is." Cloud mumbled sadly, looking at the train._

_It was quiet for a while, until Haley broke the silence._

_"When you get to Midgar, write me and tell me what it's like there….I wanna go there someday."_

_"Sure…I will."_

_**'NOW BOARDING 9 o'clock TRAIN TO MIDGAR! ALL ABOARD!' **The speaker over head came on._

_"Take care of yourself, ok Cloud?" Haley asked, restraining the tears that threatened to fall._

_"I will." He turned on his heels and began to walk off and get on the train, but he stopped when he felt his sister hug him from behind._

_"I love you, Cloud." She mumbled into his back._

_Cloud smiled at the gesture. "love you too squirt. Now get home to mom! Don't wont her to worry."_

_"Right." She pulled away and watched him get on the train. She watched until she was sure he had gotten on and waited for the train to began to pull out of the station. She started to walk fast by it and faster until she was running alongside it. Cloud watched her run alongside it until she reached the end of the platform, where she stopped and watched it leave sadly._

_'Be safe…Cloud'_

_The first letter-_

_Dear Haley, _

_I'm in Midgar. I'm starting off as an infantryman for SOLDIER. It's interesting, but not a lot of action involved to it. Midgar is nice, I guess. It's just like any big city that we've heard of. Well, I hope you are doing well. Talk to you soon._

_Love, Cloud._

That was the last and only letter that I had gotten from Cloud….and the last I heard of him for almost 6 years.

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A/N: ACK! This chapter was suckish! I had no idea what to write about, so I decided to do this to buy time! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I would like reviews please!


	10. He's gone Again

A/N: Ok, here's chapter 10! First off, I would like to say to xxDarkAssassinxx that I read several chapters of one of your stories whose title escapes me, which I apologize for, but I would like to say that it is very good and the next chance I get, im going to review it! Keep up the good work! And you're very welcome for the cookie^-^! Now…TO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: Ok, how many time do I have to beat it into your heads! I do not own! Just this story, plot line, and my characters!

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Chapter 10. He's gone again

The next morning, I woke up in a happy mood….and with a very hungry stomach. I looked at my clock and it was around the time of morning that Tifa would be downstairs making breakfast. I got dressed in my normal attire, brushed my hair and teeth, and walked out and headed downstairs. When I got closer to the kitchen, I knew that something wasn't right, because I couldn't smell Tifa's cooking…which meant something was very wrong, or she slept in. I walked into the kitchen to see Tifa sitting at the table, staring down at a piece of paper.

"Tifa?" She looked up from the paper as I spoke. "What's going on? What's that piece of paper?" I moved forward to grab it off the table, taking it into my hands to read what it said. I only needed to read the first lines to know what had happened.

"He's gone…" I mumbled. "He's gone again." I shook my head, and began to laugh stupidly for a second.

"Haley…" Tifa moved from her seat in a way to come and comfort me, but I shook my head, telling her I didn't need comforting.

"I'm going out for a while…I'll be back later." I walked out of the bar, making sure to slam the door behind me.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

I walked the busy streets of Midgar, just moping around. I really had nothing to do… Stupid Cloud! It's all his fault that im acting like this right now. Even though he had forgiven himself somewhat, he hadn't done it completely, and that really worried me sometimes.

My thoughts were interrupted by my PHS' ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket.

"Hello?"

_'Haley, it's been a while.'_ I smiled at the voice that came from the other line.

"Hello Reeve…what can I do for you?"

_'Do you think you could handle a mission for us?'_

"Sure, im bored over here anyways. I'll see you in a few."

_'See you then.'_

Maybe a mission would make me feel better….

* * *

After about a thirty minute walk to the WRO building, I had finally reached Reeve's office. I opened the door without knocking, and walked in to see Reeve sitting in a chair behind his desk, reading some files of something. He looked up upon my entry, giving me a smile.

"Its been too long Haley." I couldn't help but smile happily.

"How've you been Reeve?" I asked, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

"I've been well. How about yourself?" He asked, my smile from earlier quickly leaving my face.

"Cloud's gone again. He left this morning…but other than that, everything's been well."

He nodded in response. "Like I mentioned before, I have a mission for you. Here." he handed me a file. "This has everything in it you need to know. I'm sending you with the Turks." Now this caught my attention.

"Yo, it's about damn time I got sent on a mission!" A familiar voice complained. I turned around to face the fiery red-head as he entered the room.

"You're sending me with Reno?" I asked, earning a small frown from the Turk. Its not like I don't like Reno, because as you already know, I do…a lot!

"You'll need back-up from someone with experience like him, plus he's a good assassin." Reeve informed me, earning a prideful grin from Reno.

"Right. When do we leave?"

"Today or tomorrow would be good."

"How long will this take exactly?" I quirked an eyebrow up in question.

"A couple of days or up to two weeks." That is very long time…I can manage.

"Ok. We can leave today. I need to go home and tell Tifa first so she doesn't freak. Wanna come with?" I asked, glancing up at Reno, awaiting his answer.

"Sure." together, we walked out and began walking to the bar.

While we walked, I read up on some of the info that Reeve had given me. We were to go to Nibelheim and find out information on a gang that called themselves the five kings, and learn what kinda trouble they were up to in Nibelheim. I was somewhat nervous about going back to my hometown…I wonder what it looked like now?

"You're going on a mission with Reno?"

"Yep!" I smiled at Tifa, who stared at me in shock. "I'll be back in a few weeks, ok? I promise!"

"Ok, just come back in one piece, alright?"

"You got it! Well, seeing as I already have what I need, I guess we'll be off then! Tell the kids I said 'bye." I waved to her as I walked out.

"You take care of her Reno! Cloud wont be happy if he finds out his sister got hurt while in your care." Tifa shouted to him as he trailed out behind me.

Like Cloud even cared at all anymore.

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A/N: OOOHHH! Haley hates her brother again! So this chapter seemed pretty short to me, but whatever! Hope you guys liked it, and I expect you guys to review! LATER TATERS!


	11. Our Pasts

A/N: *Sigh* I'm depressed…I have the fear of writers block to come to this story if I begin to run out of chappie ideas T-T…Ok, xxDarkAssassinxx, you don't need to feel guilty about asking me to read some of your stories! Im glad I did because I love them! You are one of my fave reviewers, and I think you are amazingly awesome!

Disclaimer: Ok….if you didn't understand the first time…I DON'T OWN! JUST THE STORY! GET IT IN YOUR FREAKING HEADS!

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Chapter 11. Our Pasts

I figured we were going to have to take a chopper, which Reno would undoubtedly fly, but I was relieved to find out that Reeve had chartered a private jet to Nibelheim. Reno was somewhat disappointed he wouldn't get to fly his helicopter. Right now, we were sitting on the plan for the 7 hour journey to Nibelheim. I was content and relaxed with silence, and just as I was drifting off to sleep, I felt something warm peck my lips.

"What is it Reno?" I opened my eyes lazily to be met by the smirk of my red-headed companion.

"How'd ya know it was me?" He looked at me questioningly.

"Just a good guess…now why'd ya wake me up?" I glared at him angrily and he only smirked.

"Im bored…talk to me!" He looked at me like a kid who was asking for candy.

"About what?"

"Tell me about your hometown." I looked at him with a confused look that said 'why do you need to know', causing him to grin.

I smiled a little before answering. "My hometown is where we're going. I'm from Nibelheim."

"Really?" Reno looked at me with a shocked face. "I always thought you from somewhere like Gongaga."

I glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean Reno?"

"Well, you always seemed like a country girl, so I just figured…you were from Gongaga." He grinned at me sheepishly.

"Nibelheim is country town too. Besides, Gongaga is such a backwater name too! What about you, Reno? Where're you from?" I looked over at him with curious eyes.

"From Midgar. Im slums rat." I frowned at the way he had put it, but I decided not to say anything about it.

"What sector?"

"Seven." He seemed to go rigid as he told me this. I knew he was one of the Turks responsible for dropping the plate, and he probably felt a lot of guilt for it.

"What're your parents like?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"My old man ditched my mom and me, and my mom…well she died when I was just a kid."

"Im sorry, I shouldn't have asked." I looked down at the floor.

"Nah, its alright. I don't really mind talking about it anyways." He smiled at me before continuing. "What about your parents? Bet they're really nice."

"They're both dead. I already told you about my mom being gone. My dad….I never met him. If I did, then I don't remember what he looked like. He died when I was really little or before I was even born. I really don't remember."

"If you don't mind me asking, but…how did your mom die?"

I was very quiet. I didn't really know what to say for a while, until I finally remembered what the question was.

"When Sephiroth went crazy, he was in Nibelheim when it happened. My mother was killed when the town got burnt down. I wasn't fast enough to reach and save her. She died in my arms." I spoke with and emotionless voice, and stared at Reno. "I had no one else to take care of me, so after I had buried my mother, I left Nibelheim and traveled for four years looking for Cloud. When I reached Midgar and finally found someone who worked for Shinra that knew about Cloud, they told me he was killed in action. I had no one then. I lived down in the slums for awhile, until I found Cloud again." I smiled at the last part.

"That's the whole story?" Reno asked.

"Not really all of it, but if you really wanna know, I'll tell you later." I smirked at him before closing my eyes once more, and finally drifted off to sleep.

_Dream:_

_I walked around the streets for some time, doing nothing except mope. I had finally reached Midgar just a few months ago, and I was still broke and homeless. My family was dead, and I was all alone. I walked down the a street of the slums, until a building caught my eye. It was a very nice church that looked very old too…I walked in to find that it was very empty, except for some flowers growing inside in the center, sunlight washing down on them. I approached them, careful not to step on any of them, and knelt down in front of them, gently caressing the petals. It had been a very long time since I had last seen flowers, let alone sunlight at all. It made me feel…happy, like there was hope. I smiled as I looked at the flowers. The sound of footsteps approaching me caused me to turn around. Behind me was a girl who looked to be about several years older than me. She wore a pink dress, and brown boots, with a long braid in her hair that was tied up by a pink ribbon. In her hands, she held an empty little basket._

_"Hello. Can I help you?" She asked in a sweet voice, one that would attract people to her, seeking her as a good friend._

_"I was just looking at the flowers. I haven't seen any flowers in a long time, let alone sunlight." I smiled at her._

_She grinned happily at me before approaching me. "Thank you. I take care of these flowers everyday. It's good to know that some people actually think so highly of them. Tell me…what's your name?"_

_"My name is Haley."_

_"How long have you been on the streets?" She looked at me with a concerned face._

_"A couple a months now."_

_"Well, you can stay with me. I wouldn't mind at all!" I looked up to see her smiling kindly, and I couldn't help but return the smile._

_"Thank you…that means a lot. Im sorry, but I never got your name."_

_She helped me up and smiled._

_"I'm Aerith. It's nice to meet you Haley!"_

_I nodded my head and smiled. "It's nice to meet you too…Aerith."_

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**A/N: ok, please excuse my language here, but personally, I found this chapter to be like shit! It was way to short, and I had no idea what to write about! T-T! My worst nightmare is coming true! WRITERS BLOCK! Ok, people start sending in an idea for the next chappie, cuz im gonna need it! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! AND SEND IN YOUR IDEAS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! I need all the help I can get! Later Taters ^-^!**


	12. A not so very welcome committee

A/N: Ok, so this chapter will probably be really bad, due to my imagination running out of ideas but hopefully you people will like it.

Disclaimer: ok, I don't own, and for this crappy chapter, I really wish I didn't own it right now.

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Chapter 12. Return to Nibelheim…with a not so very good welcome committee

"Yo, hey, wake up babe." I completely ignored whoever it was that was trying to wake me up.

"Mmmm, no…go away." I mumbled sleepily.

"Come on Strifette, get up!" I felt Reno pull on my arm in attempts to get me to wake up, but he failed…epically.

"No! Lemme sleep!"

"Listen we need to get on with the mission, and if you just lay here and sleep, you're gonna get in trouble with Reeve!"

I groaned in defeat, and lazily opened my eyes to see the red-headed Turk looking down at me, clearly annoyed.

"Fine. Im up, are you happy now?" I sat up and stretched my arms and back, and before I could stand up on my own, Reno pulled me up and dragged me out of the plane. "What the hell Reno! I can walk on my own, without having you drag me!" I growled at him angrily, something I never really ever do.

He dragged me out and into the middle of the town, where he finally released my arm, and I began to gently rub the spot he had been gripping. I looked around as I comforted my poor arm, noticing that everything looked completely normal, as if there weren't any problems at all. I hadn't been here in tow years, and it looked the exact same as it did when I was last here…at least nothing was burnt to the ground like before.

"You think Reeve got the wrong town mixed up with another one? Cuz I don't see anything that looks like a problem at all…" Reno said, looking around like I was.

I shook my head. "No…there's no way Reeve would make a mistake like that. We need to ask around if we want information. It's just like Junon…you have to ask around for the information you need." I began to walk away from the center of town, Reno falling in step next to me, when out of nowhere, I heard someone shouting.

"HEY! GET OUTTA OUR TOWN!" I turned around two see several guys, staring at me and Reno with very dirty looks.

"Excuse me?" I looked at them with a very annoyed glare, appalled at what they had just told us.

"You heard me, I said beat it!" I looked at same man that had been yelling at us before, noticing that he seemed very familiar. He had familiar brown hair, and green eyes. Finally, I remembered him.

"Tommy?" I said loudly enough for most of the people around to hear. The man seemed to stiffen, giving away that I had been right. "Tommy Masterson?"

"Yea, its me…Its been awhile Haley." Tommy said, still staring me down with an angry glare that was full of hatred.

"Yea…it has been awhile."

"Wait a minute, you know this guy?" Reno said, looking at me in shock.

"Why do you want us out of this town? Not like we're doing anything wrong." I said, completely ignoring Reno's question.

"We don't allow traitors to walk in our town." Tommy said, still glaring at me as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Traitor? You don't mean me, do you?" I looked at him confused.

"Who else. You left without even bothering to help anyone else!" Tommy yelled.

"That's not true…I looked for survivors. I could hardly even manage to get into a lot of places because everything was on fire. I did what I could." I remained calm, while Tommy only seemed to get even angrier. "There weren't any survivors, Tommy."

"I lost everyone and everything! I lived, and so did you! You left! YOU DIDN'T LOSE EVERYTHING LIKE I DID!" He ran towards me and stopped when he got right in front of me.

"That's not true…." I glared at him with a death glare, before shouting in his face. "I lost everything too! My very own mother died in my arms! Do you know how long I lived with the guilt of her death! I wasn't even inside the town when it was attacked! I couldn't even protect, let alone, save my own mother! You had that chance to save your family! I didn't! I left and wandered around for practically four damn years looking for my brother, and when I finally found out something about him, they told me he was dead! I felt like I had no one, until I finally found him! And he was alive! I know that you have family in Gongaga, and Costa del Sol! You had family you could go too! I didn't! I lived on the streets of the Sector 7 slums for five months without any home or money! I had to steal food, just to not go hungry! You think you had it so Damn hard, but you didn't! If anyone is to ever be considered a traitor…it should be Sephiroth…it's his fault that everyone died that night." When I had let out everything, the look on his face was in utter shock.

"I didn't know-I-" He stuttered out, only to be interrupted by Reno.

"Look, we only came here because we're looking for some people. You know about a gang that calls themselves the five kings?"

Tommy stiffened for a moment, until a smirk came across his face.

"Know them? Im the leader." The rest of the men that had been standing around him from earlier approached and circled Reno and me in, leaving us no route of escape. I looked up and glared at Tommy.

"You smug bastard…" I muttered under my breath. Now if anyone were to be called a traitor, it would be him.

"Please, flattery will get you anywhere." He made a move to pull out a gun, but my reflexes were way to fast. I kicked my leg up and knocked his gun out of his hand, and grabbed my Hope Sword from my back and got into a battle stance, Reno right next to me, EMR out and ready to beat up some dudes.

"Your right, flattery does get you anywhere, and works especially well as a distraction!" I knocked a club out of another mans and, and kicked my leg up in the air, letting my foot connect to his head, knocking him out instantly.

"HIIIYYAA!" Reno shouted, punching a guy in the face.

Tommy pulled out a sword that looked terribly wimpy compared to Cloud's Buster Sword and my Hope Sword combined.

"Please! You don't plan on trying to beat us with that, do you?" He swung it at me, but I easily dodged it by doing a back flip.

"I plan on doing just that! You think you're so much better, don't you!" He slashed the sword down towards me, and I blocked it with my own sword, causing Tommy's to snap in half.

"Wha-!" I kicked him square in the chest, knocking him to the ground flat on his back. I placed a foot on his chest, and my sword against his neck, and I also pulled out my emergency hand gun from my waist. Everyone was down and counted for.

"Looks like I win." I smirked at him, knowing that I had won. "Reno, call in the troops."

"Already done." He gave me an amused smile.

"Good." I turned my attention back to Tommy. "You and your comrades are being placed under arrest for 10 counts of murder, illegal drug use and abuse, thievery, disrupting the peace of Nibelheim, and assault on two WRO agents. You're going to prison for a very long time to sum it all up."

Mission accomplished.

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A/N: So, what did you guys think! Please review! Later Taters!


	13. Return To Nibelheim:Part 2

A/N: Ok, so last chapter was actually pretty good, and I would like to announce that I think my writers block is getting better! Any who, if you're wondering why this chapter is called return to Nibelheim part 2, it's because it's the continuation of the last chappie! ENJOY! I had a request for more Reno action, so in one of the future chapters, there will be plenty of it!

Disclaimer: I only own this story, alright? God, get it in your heads already…

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Chapter.13 Return to Nibelheim: Part 2

"Reeve, mission accomplished." I spoke to the man on the other side of the line.

_'Well that was very fast. Good work.'_

"Request to stay for a couple of day's?"

_'Permission granted. See you two soon.' _With that said, there was a click from the other line, and I closed my PHS, sliding it back into my pocket, and turning my attention back to the plane. "All right men, head her back to H.Q.!"

After loading the prisoners aboard, the plane took off, leaving me and Reno to stay behind.

"Well…that was easy, don't you think?" Reno asked, turning to glance at me with a smirk.

I returned the face. "Piece of cake! We make a pretty good team, huh?" I smiled up at him.

"Got that right! C'mon, how about we celebrate!" He grabbed my hand and began to pull me somewhere, but I dug my heels into the ground, forcing him to come to a stop and look back at me.

"I was actually planning on going somewhere already…and knowing you, you're gonna take us to a bar, and I'll have you know I am not one for drinking…not now at least." I mumbled the last part to myself.

"Where're 'ya going?" He asked as I slipped out of his grip and walked away.

"Wait by the clothing store. I'll be back in a little while." I shouted to him as I walked off, and out his sight. There was a shroud of trees just a little out of town, and I headed over there, careful not to fall flat on my face. After a minute or two of walking, I reached a tombstone that was surrounded by a small pond and many flowers. I walked up and stopped right in front of the tombstone, and sat down in front of it.

"Hi, mom…it's me…Haley." I smiled sadly at the tombstone in front of me as I spoke. "Its been awhile since I last visited…I've been out saving the world again. I have-" I was cut off by being thrown into some type of weird place, like when I had seen Aerith in the church that time. I was standing in the field of flowers, and I felt a presence come from behind me.

_"Look at you…all grown up, and everything, and helping save the planet. So, why did you come to see me sweetheart?" _I felt my mother place a hand on my arm, giving it a gentle, loving squeeze.

"I wish you could beat some sense into your chocobo-head of a son." I mumbled angrily, earning a chuckle out of her.

_"And I why should I do that?" _

"Because, once again, he hasn't seemed to have forgiven himself completely I suppose…im not even sure if I can call us a family anymore…he left again just yesterday….I think…he-"

She cut me off. _"Cloud will forgive himself…he already has…I think he just needs more time to adjust to it. He'll be back, you'll see. Now then…sing with me." _I smiled as I felt arms wrap themselves around me from behind, and the gentle quiet humming breaking the silence as my mother hummed the melody, which I soon found myself singing.

_"Imba wimbo wa upepo_

_Wakati unajiwa na _

_Imba wimbo wa upepo_

_Wakati udoto tamu_

_Lala impalka _

_Usiku usheni _

_Upepo wasiku _

_Wimbo wakona_

_Wimbo-" _

The sound of twig snapping from behind me, followed by a whole bunch of quiet curses, caused me to turn around in alarm, and what I saw then relaxed me.

"Reno, did you follow me again?" I asked, grinning up at him as he got closer and sat down next to me.

"I was just afraid you'd gone and fallen in quicksand, so I figured I come and see if you needed rescuing. What're you really doing, Strifette?" He turned to glance at me with a curious look, causing me to laugh quietly.

"Visiting my mom." He looked completely lost, so I pointed a finger to the tombstone in front of us, causing him to understand.

"What was that you were singing a few minutes ago?"

"It's a lullaby that my mother used to sing to me and cloud when we were little."

"Could you sing it for me?" He gave me a his normal goofy grin, and couldn't help but smile at him.

"Sure. Just don't fall asleep on me." He laughed at my response, and laid down, laying his head in my lap, causing me to blush madly.

"Im waiting…."

"Imba wimbo wa upepo

Wakati unajiwa na

Imba wimbo wa upepo

Wakati udoto tamu

Lala impalka

Usiku usheni

Upepo wasiku

Wimbo wakona"

I had my hands resting on Reno's chest when I felt him grab one and hold it gently, rubbing circles on the back of them with his thumb.

"Wimbo, wangu

Inaendelea, milele.'

It was quiet for a moment, until Reno stood up from the ground, pulling me up with him.

"We should find a hotel to stay in for the night. Let's go." He held my hand as we walked back, and with one last glance to the tombstone, I quietly said my goodbye.

_'Thank you mom.'_

* * *

"We need two rooms, please." Reno said casually to the hotel clerk behind the desk.

"Im sorry sir, but im afraid that there's only one room left, and it only has one bed." The clerk replied.

I was fixing to scream at what happened after the clerk spoke.

"We'll take it!" Reno cheerfully said, giving the man the amount of gil needed for the rooms. After receiving the key to the room, Reno dragged me off and up the stairs to the room 78. I glanced around the room, taking in that it was actually quite nice, until I laid my eyes upon the one bed in the room, remembering that I would have to share it with Reno…not that I really mind or anything.

"I call dibs on using the shower first!" I shouted excitedly, running towards the bathroom and running in, slamming the door shut behind me, locking just to be safe.

I stripped out of my smelly clothes that had dried blood on it, throwing them off into a corner, and turning the shower on, stepping into the warm water.

* * *

After I had finished washing off, I turned the water off, and stepped out and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around me. I made a move to grab my clothes, when I noticed I had forgotten a very important thing…my clothes…I had left them out there, in the room…where Reno was. Crap!

"Dammit…" I cursed under my breath, before tightening the towel around me so it wouldn't fall of, and I unlocked the door and walked out. I didn't see Reno, and for that, I felt very grateful. I walked over to the bed where I had carelessly dumped my clothes that I had brought, and grabbed some pajamas, when I heard a wolf whistle come from behind me.

"Strifette, looking good!" I turned around so fast, that I grimaced in pain. I glared at the red-head, angry that he had been hiding.

"Stop looking Reno!" I shouted at him, my face heating up as he only laughed and grinned. "Jack-ass! Im going to get dressed!" I walked back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me, and quickly changed into my shorts and oversized tee-shirt that used to belong to Cloud. I walked back out of the bathroom to see Reno laying on the bed watching TV.

"Awww, I liked you in the towel!" He whined as he saw me, putting on a pouting face, which caused me to giggle.

"Pervert…"

"You know you love me babe!"

I smiled and shook my head, taking a seat next to him. I immediately regretted it when I got whiff of him.

**"LEVIATHAN, RENO! YOU SMELL AWFUL!"** I placed a hand over my nose, grimacing. "Go take a shower!"

"But I'm -"

**"NOW, RENO!"**

He immediately got up and ran into the bathroom. I relaxed when I heard the shower go on, thanking Gaia that he was doing as I asked.

30 minutes later-

'God, how long does it take one such as Reno to shower?' I thought to myself, annoyed that he hadn't walked out yet.

Right when I thought that, the bathroom door began to open.

'Bout time!'

Out came Reno….in nothing but a towel…

**"RENO!" **I shouted in utter shock, grabbing a pillow and burying my face in it, in hopes to hide my blush.

"My hotness to much for you to handle, Strifette?" He asked in an amused tone, with a smug smirk on his face no doubt.

"For the sake that of my eyesight…**PUT SOME DAMN PANTS ON!" **Not that I wasn't enjoying the view or anything…but I couldn't let him know that!

"Ok, I have some pants on! You can stop hiding your pretty face in the pillow now!" I didn't move an inch, afraid that he was trying to trick me so I could be embarrassed. "Strifette, you can look now…" I still didn't move, making the decision to annoy him. Hehe, I am so evil at times!

"Hey! You still awake, 'Yo?" I felt the bed sink down as he came to sit next to me on it. "Haley?" He began to pry the pillow away from my face, and sadly, he succeeded. I couldn't help but be so upset that he done so, because he wasn't wearing anything but pants.

Damn Reno and his amazing chest!

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A/N: Ok, so what did you guys think? Was it better? Did you like it! I hope so! Review, ok? Just press the shiny button! LATER TATERS!


	14. Helicopters and the phone call

A/N: Ok, here is chapter 14! First off, I would like to thank xxDarkAssassinxx for calling me a rare author! I feel so special! Cookie to you for being an awesome reviewer! Ok, so just to let everyone know, I write everything as I go along, so that's why it's pretty suckish -_- yes I am a horrible person, but whatever! So yea….ON TO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: Lets get one thing straight: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, because if I suddenly did, then Square would probably sue me for everything I have…which isn't really a lot, and I'd actually like to keep my freedom thank you very much!

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Chapter 14. Helicopters, H.Q., The Bar, and The phone call

I don't exactly remember anything about last night…not like that you sickos! I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, and to be perfectly honest, I don't know what Reno did…which is actually kinda scary once you think about. I know for sure that my clothes are still on, along with the bed sheets, and that there isn't anyone next to me…I think.

I lazily opened one eye, only to find that other side of the bed was messed up, and I could only assume that Reno had been sleeping there. But the question is…where is he?

I sat up in the comfy hotel bed, stretching my arms above my head, and then swinging my legs off the side and standing up to pop my back. I didn't think there was anyone else around, until I smelt coffee. I walked out of the bedroom, only to find that Reno was sitting at the table, drinking coffee….without me. (A/N: Just to let you know, I hate it when people get star bucks without me…I really hate it!) He looked up at me when I approached the table.

"You're up early. I was trying to let you get some more sleep." He said, taking a quick sip from his mug.

"Thanks…can I have some coffee?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

He grinned at me before standing up. "Sure! One cup of coffee, coming right up!" He made a move over to the coffee and started up some more. I yawned again, still feeling tired.

"You sure you don't wanna go back to sleep?" I turned my attention to the red-head, who looked at me with an unsure face.

"It's to late now anyways…I smelt the coffee, and I intend on getting me a cup." I laughed quietly.

"If you say so…" He mumbled, turning back to pour me up a cup of coffee. He walked back over to the table, placing it in front of me. "There you go…one fresh cup of coffee!"

I grinned at him happily. "Thanks Reno." I carefully took a small sip from the piping hot cup, closing my eyes as it entered my mouth. It was delicious. Nothing like caffeine in the morning to wake you up…and keep you.

In no time, I was finished and very much awake.

"Tseng called me…He said that he's sending a chopper to come and pick us up." Reno said as I stood up from my chair, making a move to throw my paper cup away.

"What time?" I asked as I walked back over to him.

"About an hour, I guess…" He looked at me with his charming eyes, "If I were you , I'd go get dressed."

That's when I noticed I was still in my pajamas, which I really didn't feel like changing out of.

"Ok…" I walked back to the bedroom, and quickly changed and fixed my hair, packed all my stuff up, and walked back out, and found Reno hanging around the front door to the room.

We took off to the landing pad from there.

When we got to the landing pad, Reno looked quite amused when he saw the helicopter there, waiting for us, with a familiar face standing by it.

"Rude! Looking Sharp!" Reno called out as we approached the bald Turk, who was, as always, wearing those sunglasses, and as normal, didn't speak, but only gave a curt nod.

"Hi Reno. For once, you actually didn't screw up a mission from what I heard from Tseng." Reno scowled at his partner as he jumped in the chopper.

"Hello Rude. Long time, no see." I gave a small smile and wave, jumping inside the chopper after Reno.

"Im driving!" Reno shouted as he got into the pilots seat. What he said didn't exactly put me at ease.

"You don't mean that you're gonna fly this thing, do you?" Please say no, please say no….

"You got it!" NOOOOO!

* * *

"Ugh…never again, "I growled. "am I going on a chopper that you fly!" I felt something going on in my stomach, causing me to grimace in disgust. **"OH GAIA, SOMEONE GET ME A BUCKET! I THINK IM GONNA HURL!"**

"Rude, open the door and let her barf out to the ground! I don't wanna see puke all over my copter!" Reno shouted from the pilots seat. Fortunately, Rude was more mature, and thankfully handed me a bucket, which I barfed in. I was just praying that the 6 hour trip back to Midgar would come to an end fast…and that I would live through Reno's reckless flying.

* * *

"Oh, sweet ground! Sweet, sweet, ground!" I cheered happily as I stumbled out of the chopper, and onto the landing pad of the WRO headquarters, followed by Reno and Rude. Rude went off somewhere, and Reno came and stood next to me.

"Looks like I got us home safely!" He grinned, and I turned to look at him with an evil glare.

"Let's just report to Reeve so I can go home."

"I'll do it for you. Just wait for a while and I'll walk you home." He walked into Reeves office, a questioning glance thrown at me from over his shoulder. I smiled at him.

"Ok…I'll wait."

15 minutes later, he came back out and together, we walked to the 7th Heaven together. When we entered inside, Tifa was washing tables. Upon our entrance, she looked away from her work, and looked up at us, giving us a welcoming smile.

"I'm home!" I said happily, and upon saying that, I heard happy cheering coming from upstairs, and approaching me.

"Auntie Haley, you're home!" Marlene shouted as she and Denzel came crashing into me from the stairs, and into a hug.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" I smiled down at them, ruffling their hair.

"Haley…while you were gone…you got a phone call…" Tifa said, her smile disappearing.

"From who?" I asked patting the kids heads as I broke away from their strong grips. Reno had made himself very comfy at the bar.

"From Cloud…" It was so quiet, that if a pin had been dropped, it would sound like a plate falling and breaking on the ground.

"Oh" I looked over at her. "What'd he say?"

"He'll be home soon…he promised."

I scoffed lightly at the thought of him making a promise, knowing that he couldn't possibly keep one like that, but he was always one to surprise.

"That's what he said last time…he didn't come home for until 2 months later…but whatever…as long as he plans to actually come home this time, then who am I to hate? I know he'll be home, because he doesn't then I'll just hunt him down and beat the shit outta him." I made my way into the seat next to Reno. "Hey, Tifa? Could I have something to eat? Im pretty hungry."

Tifa was silent for a moment, until a kind smile made its way on her face. "Sure. You got it."

I was glad to be back home.

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A/N: Ick, this chappie seemed terrible! It was just boring! I was too lazy to make it seem awesome! Please review my wonderful reviewers! LATER TATERS!


	15. Ice cream

A/N: Im…so…tired! My imagination feels so empty! I did my absolute best on this chapter in hopes that you, my wonderful reviewers, would like it! I would like to dedicate this chapter to xxDarkAssassinxx. Thank you for being an awesome reviewer, who actually believes in me and my story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: if I tell you I don't own final fantasy 7, will you leave me alone?

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One week after the return to Midgar-

It was late afternoon at the bar, and already it was packed with a whole bunch of customers. I was helping bust tables, and delivering drinks to tables. The one thing I would never understand, is why people would choose to get drunk in the afternoon.

"Haley, table five order is ready!" Tifa shouted from the bar, waving me over.

"Got it!" I ran to the bar to grab the bottle of beer that had been ordered, walking over to give it to the customer at the table. "Here you go. That'll be 10 gil, please?"

He handed over the money, and I retreated back to give Tifa the money.

"You look exhausted…take over the bar for awhile, and I'll do the orders." She said, moving out from behind the bar as I got in behind it, taking a seat on the stool.

"Thanks, Tifa." She smiled at me before going off to get orders. I laid my head down, in hopes of a few minutes to catch my breath, when I was rudely interrupted.

"Hey, babe, how's it going?" Reno.

I will admit, that I see Reno almost everyday. It's like he stalks me or something…but I like him, so who am I to judge? Im not quite sure where our relationship stands, but it's a pretty good one.

I lifted my head up to look at him. He was sitting in front of me.

"'Yo, you look worn out."

I groaned. "I am! I've been working for 3 hours straight, and this is the only break I've had today!" I slammed my head back down on the bar, letting out another groan. I felt Reno pat my head sympathetically.

"Listen Strifette, I know you're really tired, but can I please have a beer?"

I reached behind me with out looking, grabbed a mug, and handed it to Reno, or more like shoved it at him. "Get it yourself…im too tired to even move!"

I heard him get up and come over to where I was and pour himself some beer.

"Haley, why don't you hang around with Reno. I have everything under control here." I heard Tifa shout from the other side of the room. I gave her a 'are you sure' look, and she only smiled and nodded.

"Thanks Teef!" I smiled brightly at her before turning my gaze to Reno. "C'mon! Let's get outta here!"

"Wait, im not finished with my-" I was already dragging him out the door, before he could finish!

"Let's get ice-cream instead!" I stopped dragging him along, letting him walk alongside me.

"You do realize you're still holding my hand?" I glanced down at my hand and noticed that he was right, and I immediately let go of his hand, my face heating up from the blush.

"Sorry, I-"

"Hey, you don't need to say sorry. I kinda like holding your hand anyway!" He grabbed my hand again, and held gently in his, intertwining our fingers, grinning at me as my face turned different shades of red all at once. "Now, let's get some ice-cream!"

* * *

I sat on the bench while waiting for Reno to get us our ice-cream, thinking about a lot of things. I wondered when Cloud would come home, and when I would get to see him. I wondered what the kids were doing now, how everyone was….I wondered if I would ever get my ice-cream…

"I'm back!" Well, it's about time….

Reno walked over to me, and handed me one of the ice-cream cones in his hands. I took a lick of it, and smiled.

"Mmmm! Vanilla, my favorite! Thank you, Reno!" I smiled at him before taking another bite of my ice-cream cone.

"No problem." He sat down next to me on the bench and e both ate our ice-cream in silence, until Reno broke it.

"Strifette, would you go on a date with me?" Well, that was certainly unexpected…

Because of the suddenness of the question, I accidentally dropped what was left of my ice-cream, which wasn't a lot, on the ground. I thought about this for a second, wondering what could come out of it. I found nothing wrong whatsoever.

"Sure, I'll go with you." Reno smiled happily.

"I'll pick you up at 7!" With that said, he ran off leaving me behind.

This should be interesting….

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A/N: Im so sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I promise the next one will be a little longer! Just don't hurt me! Please, oh please review! LATER TATERS!


	16. Date with a TurkPart 1

A/N: Ok, this chappie should be very interesting to some people. Like xxDarkAssassinxx asked in one of the last reviews, this is for you! I bring to you…FLUFF in this chapter! So…ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy 7...

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Chapter 16. The Date With The Turk-Part 1

"So, where is he taking you? "Tifa asked, helping me get ready for my date with Reno.

"He didn't say. He just said to be ready by 7." I looked in the mirror as Tifa brushed my hair.

"So, he is one that likes to surprise people, huh?" She let out a small laugh.

"I guess…he seems to be pretty good at it too." I added in, remembering one time before meteor, when I was still living with Aerith and her mother.

Flashback to 4 years ago:

_I pushed open the doors to the church, and walked inside, alone. Aerith had a cold, and asked me to come and tend to her flowers today. I knelt down in front of the patch of flowers and began to make sure they were all ok, and I was so distracted, I didn't hear anyone come in…at least, not until they came up behind me._

_"Yo." It brought me out from my work, and I couldn't help but scream in surprise._

_"Who are you, and what're you doing here?" I looked, no, more like glared at the red head who had startled me._

_"My exact question. So answer it." He put on a cocky grin, and it only powered my frustration._

_"I asked first." I put my fists up in a defensive pose, ready to beat him up if he was looking for a fight. He only laughed, and pushed my hands back down to my sides. I knew I should've brought my sword._

_"Fine…Names Reno. Im here because I wanted to be here." I could tell he was lying about the coming here part, but I decided to not say anything about it. "And who're you, exactly?"_

_"Im not sure I wanna tell you!" I turned around and began to tend to the flowers once more._

_"Hmph, you're pretty arrogant for your age. What're you, fifteen?" That did it!_

_"I aint no kid! I haven't been one in a long time! I just turned nineteen!" I pointed a finger straight towards his face, and he only stared at me._

_"Sorry, but if you don't wanna be treated like one, maybe you should start by not trying to poke someone's eye out." he gently grabbed my wrist and put it down, away from his face. "Now, would you please tell me who you are and why you're here?"_

_"My name is Haley Strife. Im here tending to the flowers for my friend." I turned back around and knelt back down in front of the flowers to take care of them once more. I figured the guy had left, but when I saw a foot step in front of me, I freaked._

_"AHHH!" I fell backwards in surprise, earning a laugh out of the unkempt suited man._

_"You sure scare easily…" He leant a hand out to help me, and I complied, but not before pulling him down with me._

_"Well, I'm not entirely used to random strangers popping outta nowhere…" I stood back up and dusted my pants off._

_"So, you're here taking care of the flowers for that girl with the pink ribbon?" I frowned out how he described Aerith._

_"If you mean Aerith, then yea, that would be her." I sat back down on the ground, and began tending to the flowers._

_"How come you're doing it for her, instead of her?" Reno asked again, confirming that he had still not left._

_"Because she has a cold and she asked me to."_

_"How come I've never seen you around?" I ignored his question, and continued with what I was doing. "Hey! Im talking to you!" I saw his foot enter the flowers, and he stepped on some. "GAH! Get outta the flowers you dummy! You're squishing them!" I pushed him over to next to me, and immediately began to check on the flowers he had rudely stepped on._

_"Whoops! Sorry…" He knelt down next to me and began to help me for some odd reason. "So how come I've never seen you around here?"_

_"Im not from here exactly…I don't really walk around in the slums that much either."_

_"Where do you live?"_

_"With the Gainsboroughs." I answered simply._

_"Why?"_

_"Because…I don't have anywhere else to go." I kept my gaze on the flowers, and I could tell that he was watching me. "What else do you want?"_

_"Go on a date with me one day." I nearly fell backwards in shock of those words coming from his mouth._

_"Wha-but we just met! I barely know you!"_

_"So…get to know me better one day, and I'll remind you. See ya around, kid." And with that he was gone._

_End flashback:_

"There! All done!" Tifa said, tying my hair into a nice ponytail. She stood there, admiring her fine work, before moving out of my way so I could get up.

"Thanks, Tifa. It looks great." I said, earning a smile from her.

"I'll be downstairs. I'll call you when he gets here."

"'Kay."

She left me by myself to think in my room for what seemed like forever, until she finally yelled that Reno was here.

Tonight was going to go well.

"So, where exactly are we going, Reno?" I asked as he drove away from the bar.

"You'll see." Was all he said.

Our first stop was at a very nice, and probably expensive Wutai restraunt. I was praying to Gaia that it would go well!

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A/N: Ok…..please don't hate me for taking so long to do this….I started it like a week ago, and I know there really wasn't any fluff, but im really tired! Next week is my last week of school! Once again, im sooo sorry for not updating it fast, and for not giving you any fluff, but this is a two parter chappie so you'll see some fluff later! Reviews are welcomed! LATER TATERS!


	17. Date With A Turk part 2

A/N: Im sorry for not updating regularly! I started playing my final fantasy 7 game again, and I've been addicted to it 24/7! Plus my finals are coming up, and I've been studying a lot! Next Thursday is my last day of school, and then its off to high school! Any who, I don't own ff7, except for my characters and plot of this story! Enjoy!

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"Dish ish weally good swushi!" What Reno really said was 'this is really good sushi!'.

"Reno, don't talk with your mouth full." I said, scolding him like a mother would her child at the dinner table. I had to admit though, that he was right. It was good sushi!

"Mmmm!" I mumbled as I placed another piece of fish in my mouth, chewing it slowly to savor it. Within minutes, we were both finished.

"So…what's been going on with the Turk life?" Reno looked up at me with a large grin before answering.

"The usual. Take out the bad guys, save some people here and there." I laughed quietly at how he put it so plainly. "Any word from Cloud?"

I sighed sadly, and looked down at the table. "No…I don't know when he's coming back." Or if he is even coming back.

"Lets go pay and take a walk." Reno said out of the blue, standing up, whilst grabbing my hand and pulling on it gently for me to get up.

"But we just finished! We haven't even had dessert!" I protested as he dragged me over to the counter to pay.

"We'll get ice-cream on the way!" Reno said, giving the cashier the amount due, and then dragging me out with him.

Of course, of all nights to go out somewhere, I left my sweater at home, so right now, I was technically freezing my ass off. I tried to not shiver, but sadly, I couldn't help it, and it caught Reno's attention.

"You cold?"

"Kinda, yea." I mumbled. I didn't pay attention to him, but I heard him pull off his blazer. I felt him put it around my shoulders, and I immediately stopped shivering, thanking Gaia for the sudden warmth that it provided.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Here 'ya go! One chocolate ice-cream cone!" Reno said, handing me my ice-cream, which I happily took.

"Thank you!" I took a bite into the delicious ice-cream cone, savoring it's yummieness. Nothing beats chocolate ice-cream on a date! I looked over to see how Reno was doing, and he was almost done!

"Reno, when was the last time you had ice-cream?" I asked, taking another bite of mine.

"Last year." He took one last bite, and it was gone, which caused him to pout quite cutely over the sudden loss of his ice-cream.

Actually, pretty much everything is cute about Reno…well, excluding his drinking habits and profanities, but hey, people have their moments! I've actually got a list of the top ten cute things there are about Reno.

1) the way he acts when he doesn't want to do something (Just like a little kid)

2) The way he smiles

3) the way he acts when he's around me

4) How he pouts when he doesn't get his way (or when he's is sad or disappointed)

5) How he picks on people

6) His helpfulness

7) His thinking face.

8) When he defies orders.

9) How he gets all upset over ice-cream.

10) Just being himself!

Pretty much, I like everything about Reno! He's just so…so Reno! And that's what I like!

* * *

"I think the last time I actually had this much fun, was before anything bad ever happened."

"Yea…me too." Reno said looking down at the ground in thought as he and the youngest Strife sibling walked around the streets together. That's when he got a mischievous thought. "Hey, Strifette? Can I try something?" He glanced at her to see what she would do.

"Depends on if it's life threatening, or just plain stupid."

"Its not." Reno reassured her, grabbing her hand and leading her down the side of a building.

"Then why are going over here where no one can see us?" Haley asked, pointing out that something was fishy about this whole 'plan'.

"Because, it's a surprise! Now, close your eyes, and relax for me, ok?" Reno asked her as she leant her back against the wall.

"Ok." She complied and closed her eyes, relaxing all her muscles as she leaned against the wall behind her, her only support.

Haley felt Reno's warm breath on her face, taking note that he was 'EXTREMELY' close. She then felt his forehead against hers.

"Reno…what are you doing?" She asked, only to have Reno put a finger to her lips to quiet her.

"Just relax…." He whispered to her, before closing the space between them with a kiss.

Haley had the thought to push him off, but…she found herself kissing him back. She placed her hands against his chest, and she slowly found one making its way to the back of Reno's neck, pulling him closer to her.

As she kissed him, she could only think one thing:

_'This is the best date I have ever had!'_

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A/N: GAH! I am so sorry for the late update! In all honesty, I was not sure on how to end the chapter, so it was in progress of being finished, but it is now, so…YAY! I am not sure when I will get the next chapter up, but I assure, I am still alive, in case you were all wondering where I went! I would like to thank all my lovely reviewers for being awesome and reviewing! Hope while you wait for the next chapter that you would be so kind to review my other stories I have written, because they really need reviews! LATER TATERS!


	18. Arise of New Problems

A/N: Hello my lovely readers! First off, I would like to thank xxDarkAssassinxx for being a constant and awesome reviewer! To answer your question about starting High school, yes I will be starting high school too! I would like to apologize to all my readers who were waiting so long for me to update this story…I am sorry, but when it's summer, you tend to sleep until like noon, so yea. But hopefully this chapter makes up for everything, plus free cookies *Gives everyone a cookie* Enjoy!

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18. Arise of new problems

**3 months after the last time frame-**

It started out as a normal day, but it wasn't until later on that day when things were anywhere from normal. I had been sitting downstairs at the bar, minding my own business, when the phone upstairs began to ring. Tifa and the kids had gone out to get groceries, so I was alone. I figured the phone would stop ringing any moment, but it didn't.

I gave a loud and annoyed sigh. "He's not here anymore!" I shouted to the phone, in hopes that those words would shut it up, but when it continued ringing, I found my self marching upstairs to the office it was in.

I grabbed and placed it to my ear. "Yea, Strife Delivery Service is no longer delivering because our delivery boy decided to hightail it outta Midgar, so I suggest that you tell everyone you know that-"

_'Miss Strife, its been awhile.'_ That voice…it can't be…

"May ask who I'm speaking to?" it couldn't be….no….

_'Why, I thought that you would at least remember me.' Stupid arrogant bastard!_

"Rufus Shinra, you're the last person that I would expect to call this number, let alone, my brother." I crossed my arms as I waited for a reply.

_'Listen, I need to speak with-'_

"Look, Cloud isn't here anymore. Don't bother asking where the hell he is, because I sadly don't have the pleasure of knowing that answer myself."

_'Hmph, well, then I guess I'll have to speak to you instead.'_

"As lovely as that may seem, I'm not quite fond of doing such a thing." I know I said that I had forgiven Shinra for all the damage they had done, but that doesn't mean I'm on good terms with everyone, except for Reno.

_'I know that you have heard of the problems that have been going on lately, yes?'_

Ah, yes…the newest _'problems'._ It all started about 2 months back. An incident that involved some type of science lab that had been abandoned. Not really sure on all the details, except that no one had touched it since, well…since before Sephiroth had been defeated. Apparently, a lot of really strange things have been happening all around Midgar since then.

"Yes, I am aware of these new incidents, but I don't see what this has to do with talking to me."

_'I need you to come to Healin.' _Oh, Gaia not this again.

"Rufus, what the hell is going on that requires my presence at Healin?" I was growing frustrated with the man.

_'You'll find out when you get here. Hurry up, we haven't got all day.'_

"I better get answers when I get there." I hung the phone up and made my way to my room to grab a few things.

After writing a quick note of explanation, I latched my sword to my back and made my way out the door and to my bike, where I got on and sped off to the lodge.

* * *

It's been a few months since the Geostigma was washed away from everyone. But, there's something going on, and people that had it before are getting it again. Practically no one knows about it, except for those that have caught once more. And people will only grow more terrified as the number of those who have the Stigma, go up.

And this time…no one knows if there is really even away to stop all the madness from ever coming back.

* * *

Carefully, I walked up the steps that lead to the entrance of the lodge, my hands carefully touching the pocketed gun in my pouch. I carefully touched the door for a second, before bringing my foot up into the air, and landing it on the door with a very strong kick, knocking the door open, revealing Reno coming at me with his EMR, with I carefully blocked with the Hope Sword, knocking him back a few feet. Regaining his composure, he pocketed the thing before turning to look at me with a smug grin.

"Wipe that smart ass grin off your face and tell me where Rufus is." His smile turned into one of a frown.

"Well, someone is cranky." He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me into an embrace. "What's the matter? Mad that you didn't get your answers over the phone?"

"Reno, I will politely ask you to quit groping our guest before I have you thrown outside like the last time." I turned around as soon as I was let go of, and saw Rufus in his wheel chair, that old white sheet covering his form like it had been all those months ago.

"Rufus Shinra, thought I'd never see you again after our last meeting. What's with using that sheet again?" I took a seat on the couch, Reno following my actions and taking a seat next to me.

"Are you well aware of the epidemic that has been happening over these past two months, Miss Strife?"

"Cant say I do, being as I haven t heard of a new one." I crossed my legs on the couch. "What's the problem this time?"

"Geostigma, is back, and is targeting the same people that had it once more. I remember that one of the orphans that stays with you was once a victim of it, yes?" I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

"Cant we just use the healing waters in the church to cure it like the last time?"

"People have already tried that. It works, but it just keeps coming back." Rufus explained. "People are beginning to blame the Lifestream and Mako energy again. But that's not it, no. Someone is doing this again."

"I don't see how it could be someone else again, if there isn't anyone else left to control this type of thing again." I was growing confused again. "Sephiroth was gone for good last time I checked. I don't see how he could come back for a third time."

"Actually, it isn't Sephiroth that is our main problem…yet." The way that Rufus said it made the hairs on my neck stand up.

"What do you mean 'yet'? Are you saying that he's coming back again?"

"Well, that possibility is large and probably eventual. But you remember those three that tried kill you? Those are the ones that your main concern should be on."

"Oh, so they're back, eh?" I smirked thoughtfully as the memories of them came back. "They still looking for their beloved mommy, huh?"

"It would seem so." Rufus said.

"Oh joy." I sarcastically exclaimed. "Has it been confirmed that they are still searching for their beloved mommy?"

"No, but we have the idea that that is probably what they're looking for again."

"Well, it would seem like we have threatening situation on our hands once again….lovely….just damn lovely."

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A/N: Oh no's, the silver haired bad guys have returned! Duh-duhn-duhn! So, do you guys think this is a good way to go with the plot, or should I just think of a new save the world one! Tell me what you people think! LATER TATERS!


	19. Return Of Cloud Strife

A/N: YAY! You guys apparently like the plot so far, so I am gonna continue with it, and I hope that it meets up to everyone's liking standards! So, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Reno- Do I have to read it?

Me-Quit complaining or I wont include you in the chapters to come!

Reno- Fine! Twilight girl456 does not own Final Fantasy 7, or the characters, except for her own. What she does own, is the story and plot line, plus her own copy of the final fantasy 7 game.

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19. The Return Of Cloud Strife/ Haley loses her cool for her brother

"Cloud, it's your beloved sister here! Just wondering if you're ever gonna come back home so I can actually see that you're physically ok…Actually, you need to come back to Midgar right now, man! We are in some deep shit, incase you didn't know, because you are to busy moping around and being emo, staying somewhere where we cant find you! **GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE ASAP! **And call me when you get this message!" With a final huff, I snapped my PHS shut and pocketed it once more.

"You think he'll call back?" I turned to look at Reno and watch him play around with his EMR.

"Don't know….if he doesn't, then I'll just call him back and tell him that you kidnapped me, and if he doesn't get his ass over here, then you're gonna do something bad." I simply explained as I took a seat on the couch next to him.

"I thought we were trying to get me on good terms with your brother, not on ones where he stabs me for being anywhere within five feet of his sister."

"Well, with that plan out the window, then I have nothing…he'll call back if he figures out that it's really important."

Right on cue, my phone began to ring and I quickly answered it.

"Talk to me."

_'Why did you have to yell when you left that message?'_ Of course, the first thing that would come out of his mouth would a stupid question like that.

"Geez, Cloud, hi! Oh, im fine, thanks for asking!"

_'What do you want?' _My heart stung a little at the harshness in his voice, which was never there when he would talk to me.

"Look, we have a big problems back here. Are you aware of what's been going on?" I splayed my legs across Reno's lap out of boredom as I talked to my brother.

_'….'_

"Cloud, how's your right arm?" I asked. When he had Geostigma, it had been on his right arm.

_'….'_

"Cloud, from your silence that you're giving me, I can only assume that your arm isn't well. Look, get to Healen right now. Rufus will explain everything. Please, just….just get here right away, alright?" I closed my phone and fell backwards on to the couch to look up at the ceiling.

_'Why does all this crap have to happen right after we already went through it?'_

* * *

The shuffling of heavy boots stirred me from my sleep. I sat up as I heard the door open, and weapons clash.

_'Heh, just like the last time.' _I smiled to myself as I stood up and stretched my arms. "For Gaia's sake, not this again!" I complained as I saw Reno give Cloud a challenging look. Both turned to look at me, and immediately put their weapons to their sides.

The sound of the motorized wheelchair caused me to turn around and watch as Rufus wheeled in, Rude not far behind.

"Childish as always, Reno." Rufus stated. I couldn't help but slightly giggle at the face Reno made to the remark.

"Rufus Shinra…what do you want with me this time?" Cloud asked, aggravation clearly noticeable in his voice.

"So, you really aren't aware of the problem that we are having, huh?" Rufus asked as Cloud stood there and stared down the sheet clad man.

"Look, I came here because my sister told me there was a threatening problem, and I want my answers."

"Incase you really aren't aware of it yet, Geostigma is back. Once again, people are blaming the Lifestream and Mako energy for it." Rufus said, and Cloud tensed up.

"Cant it just be cured by the healing waters in the church?"

"Your sister thought the same thing. Yes, it can, but it only comes back each time, no matter how many times you wash it off. It's clear that someone is behind this epidemic."

"Like who? There isn't anyone else in the world with any power like that left."

"That's what we thought, until it became quite obvious who it was, since this is the same situation like before. Can you guess who it is? I know that you remember him and his search for Jenovas head…" I felt the hair on my neck stand up as he uttered Jenovas name.

"…." Cloud was silent, and I could tell he knew who we were talking about.

"That's right, you do remember. After all, they were the ones who kidnapped those orphans you have living with you."

"Cant believe they still think that they can find their precious mommy after they failed the first time." I mumbled to myself. "So, how're we supposed to find them and get rid of them?"

"What do you mean _'we'_? You're not going." Cloud spoke before turning his attention back Rufus.

I nearly screamed. "I beg your pardon? Yea, I know you were alone, but that doesn't mean I cant work along with helping too! Last time I checked, you weren't the boss of me." I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"I'm your older brother, and what I say, goes."

"There you go again!" I screamed at him, causing Reno to slightly jump. "Treating me as a little kid again! We already talked about this!"

"Stop acting like a child then, and listen to me. Last time you tried to fight those guys, you almost died."

"I'm a lot stronger than I was then, and I could fight them!" I argued back, moving to stand in front of him.

"It's for your own safety."

"I am more concerned for everyone else's safety besides my own!"

"You're acting extremely foolish right now, not to mention childish. You're acting just like the little brat you used to be back home! I will never understand how mom could even love a brat like you!"

**SMACK!**

I punched him square in the face, knocking him into the wall. He had crossed the line.

"Never…say things like that, you bastard. You're the most selfish person that I know, because you would leave your own family just so you could be a better fighter. You didn't even right me a single letter while you were gone!"

"I wrote you tons of letters!"

"One…that's all you wrote me…just one goddamn letter. You wrote mom all the time, but not me….do you have any idea how that felt?" I whispered so lowly, doing my best to hold back the tears that were forming in my eyes. "Do you know how it feels to ask your mother if you got a letter, and only to be let down by hearing that she got one from you instead?" I screamed at him, punching him in the face again.

"Look, I-" I cut him off with a slap across the face.

**"SHUT-UP!** Do you know what I felt like? I felt like you hated me, like you were shunning me! Like….like you didn't love me anymore! And then, you just go off for months and never answer you damn phone that Tifa and I spent a lot of Gil on for you! And here, you treat me like a damn child at every situation!" I slapped him again. I tried to stop, but I couldn't. **"SO YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL ME A FOOLISH BRAT!"** I aimed another punch at his face, only to have my wrist grabbed and stopped in mid-air.

"Haley, stop it…" Reno's voice brought me out of my anger. I looked at the hand that was holding my wrist for a second, and then I finally calmed down.

I looked down to the ground, letting my hair fall into my face and cover my eyes as I began to walk towards the door.

"Don't ever say that mom couldn't have loved me, because she loved you too, even though you left….But I couldn't find it to forgive you. And when you didn't even tell me how you were doing, I felt so hated and unloved…just like how I feel now every time you leave and don't answer my calls. If anyone should be considered the foolish brat, it should be you. Never say that my mommy couldn't love me, because I think she was the only one that did."

I opened the door and walked, slamming it as hard as I could. I leant my back against it, sliding down to the ground and pulling my knees to my chest. And for the first time in awhile, I cried. I buried my face into my knees and cried, which I found extremely uncomfortable, along with my hand that I had used to hit my brother with.

It wasn't until I felt someone pull me to them and place ice against my hurting hand, that I felt a little bit comfortable. I buried my face into my favorite red-heads shirt, breathing in the scent of cigarettes and cologne as I cried my eyes out as Reno held me his chest, doing his best to make all the sadness go away.

And sadly, it didn't.

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A/N: Intensity! I felt like I did a good job for this chapter, and I felt really bad for kicking Clouds ass, but hey, he was being mean! Any who, next chapter should be a good one…hopefully, so review and continue on reviewing! LATER TATERS!


	20. Zacks Life Lesson Quote

A/N: Ok, so I'm glad that people like the way I am going with this story! And so am I! I cant wait to see wait my interesting imagination will give today? Yes, incase I never mentioned before, I write my stories as I go along, meaning nothing is planned, which is probably why it's a little crappy. I am going to admit that I am a pretty bad writer when it comes to action scenes, so I'll do my best when I get there in future chapters. But for now, my lovely readers, enjoy my newest chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except my characters, plot line, and my own copy of Final Fantasy 7, which I am very addicted to!

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20. Zack's Life Lesson Quote

I left Healin after about an hour of crying my eyes out. Cloud is still the source of my anger right now, so I'd rather not talk about him or to him until he apologizes! Enough about the Chocobo head and back to reality: I was driving towards the Midgar Wastelands, which have always creeped me out by the way. I mean, they're too empty and eerily quiet for my liking. The only time I would ever go to the wastelands was if I had to drive through them, or to go see that big sword that belonged to Cloud's friend, which is where I am going right now by the way.

I reached my destination and stopped my bike and hopped off, heading up the hill. I was met by the sight of the big sword, laying on the ground. I frowned in confusion before walking towards and picking it back up, placing it back into the earth.

"Your friend is being an ass." I mumbled to it, as if it were an actual person. I've found myself talking to inanimate objects a lot lately…

I was fixing to continue when I was pulled into that white space thing like I had been in the church and at my moms grave. But I was alone.

'_An ass, huh?' _A voice that was clearly male asked, somewhat amused apparently. _'Well, never thought he could achieve that title.'_

"Yeah, neither did I." I mumbled, turning around to face my guest. "So, you must be Zack, right?"

The spiky-black-haired boy smiled brightly, hitting his chest with a fist. _'The one and only! So, who're you?'_

"Haley."

Zack put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought deeply about something. _'You're Cloud's little sister, aren't you?'_

"Yeah, that would be me."

He smiled before his gaze wandered to my beaten up hand._ 'Did your hand get run-over by something, because it looks pretty bad.'_

"It looks like this because I punched Cloud in the face, because he was being an ass and jerk." I explained.

Zack laughed lightly before sitting down in front of me. _'Didn't know that Cloud could ever be like those two words…So, I take it that you're mad at him?'_

"How could you tell?" I asked, sarcasm dripping off the words.

I explained to Zack what had happened, and he listened to my words without interrupting me, which is something I was very grateful for. After I had finished, he grinned at me before busting out into laughter about something unrelated to my story. I smiled at the sight, because it reminded me of Cloud.

"Y'know, I wish he could act like you." I said as Zack calmed down from his laughing fit.

_'What do you mean?'_

"I wish that he could go back to his smiling self, and joking manner like he used to. He used to be a carefree and easy going guy, but not anymore." I looked up and smiled at Zack. "He used to be a lot like you, Zack. You remind me of him."

_'Cloud needs to remember that he has his friends with him. If he remembers that, then he should be able to understand more often.'_

"Y'know…he wrote about you to our mom once. He said that you were his best-friend. Cloud grew up without a lot of friends, so you were really special to him. He looked up to you, and he said in that letter, he wanted to be a great SOLDIER like you." I smiled at Zack. "I just wish, he could see that I can fight. I'm stronger than I look, and I am pretty sure I proved that to him back there." I looked down at the ground sadly.

Zack put a hand on my shoulder, and gave it a squeeze._ 'Let me tell you something that my old instructor told me, and something that I told Cloud.' I smiled at him._

"Shoot."

He grinned widely, before picking up his sword, and placing his forehead against the blade_. 'Embrace your dreams.'_ He paused for a second. _'If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams. I'm pretty sure that you have plenty of those, so embrace them…and follow them. That's the way to becoming a hero. Remember that, for as long as you live.'_

I smiled brightly before taking my own sword and leaning my forehead against it. "Embrace your dreams…if you wanna be hero, you need to have dreams. And whatever happens," I paused, turning around to grin at Zack, "protect your honor."

Zack grinned at me. _'Who told you the last part?'_

"Cloud mumbled something about it once. I figured I'd take it and use it for my own lines."

_'Ah, that's right, I did.'_

"Y'know, for picking a living legacy, you sure did an interesting job at picking my brother."

Zack laughed. _'Well, he fit my description at what I was looking for in a living legacy.'_

I smiled, before placing my forehead against my sword once more. "Embrace your dreams. If you wanna be a hero, you need to have dreams. And whatever happens…protect your honor."

_'You got it.'_

"I wish that I could've been friends with you. I think that I would've enjoyed meeting in person. I'll remember what you told me just now. If you see Aerith, could you tell her that I said hi?" I asked him, placing my sword back in place on my back.

_'Sure, I'll tell her.'_

"And Zack?" I turned around for one last glance at him.

_'Yeah?'_

"I'm proud to call you a hero that helped my brother."

He smiled at me, giving me a small wave, and everything became bright. I found myself back in the wastelands, sitting in front of the old Buster Sword. I stood up and dusted myself off. Before I made the trek back down to my bike, I placed a hand on the hilt of the sword and gave it a good grip.

_'Embrace your dreams.' _I could hear Zack's voice echo. _'If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams.'_

"Thank you…I wont forget." I turned around to begin the walk back down the hill, but I stopped for one last glance.

"Good-night….Zack."

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A/N: Ok, I really liked writing this chapter because I love the embrace your dreams quote that Zack uses. I sort of used the ending of crisis core for this chapter, but not entirely, so I hoped you guys liked it and will review it. Next chapter should have some action…I think. LATER TATERS!


	21. Ambushed In The Wastelands

A/N: Yes! Chapter 21! Ok, so I am liking where this is going, and just to let you guys know, I have no idea how many chapters there will be, because I have big plans for later on in this story, meaning future action installments in the other final fantasy 7 games, so yea! Any who, please enjoy this hopefully action packed chapter, seeing as I am writing this author note first! Enjoy!

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21. Ambushed in the Wastelands

I drove alone through the wastelands on Fenrir 2, or, as I like to call it, Fenny, but enough about my bikes name and back to the topic. Like I said, I was alone, and trying to get away from the eerie silence that was in the stupid place. Well, that silence was thankfully broken, due to the sound of my PHS ringing. Stopping in place, I pulled it out of my pocket and put it to my ear.

"Hello?"

_'Where are you?'_ Oh great…my least favorite person is talking to me.

"Trying to get out of the wastelands as fast as I can, but you are holding me from doing that, just like everything else." I said bitterly.

_'Look, I'm-'_

"Can we not talk about this now, and just discuss why you are questioning my whereabouts?" I asked him, growing more and more impatient.

_'I just wanted to know and make sure you were alright. I'm still at Healin. Think you could wait for me until I make it to the wastelands?'_ Cloud asked, the sound of Fenrir in the background over the phone.

I sighed. "I'd rather not. It's way to creepy to just wait here by my-" I stopped mid sentence when the sound of motorcycles came into hearing range. I frowned for a moment before asking Cloud, "Cloud, are you still in Healin?"

_'I just told you that I was. Why?' _Oh no…

The sound seemed to get closer and closer, until it came to a stop and disappeared and it became quiet once more.

"Cloud, I have to go. I have a small problem to get rid of."

'Wait, don't do any-' I snapped my PHS shut and pocketed it once more, before grabbing my goggles, and placing them over my eyes. I revved my bike before smirking to myself.

"Lets go, Fenny." I whispered to myself, before taking off at an incredible speed.

I stayed at a slow speed, until I heard the other bikes engines coming closer as they apparently followed me, something I wasn't to happy about. With a sly smirk, I revved the engine and took off at a faster speed, shouting at my stalkers in my mind to eat my trail of dust. Of course, you'd figure that it would be easy to get away from them fast, right? Wrong.

Two familiar silver haired freaks came outta nowhere, boxing me in while wearing smirks on their ugly faces.

"Where's mother?" Oh goody…they're really looking for mommy again.

"Don't know, don't care. Besides, if I did know, why would I tell you two?" I was probably digging my very own grave, but at the moment, I don't really give a damn.

The one that I remember as Yazoo pulled out his stupid gun, and aimed it at me. I couldn't help but break out into a devious smile.

"Please, violence isn't necessary right now. If you kill me, more people will just come after you and kill you. Now, if you'll excuse me," I kicked his gun out of his hand when he wasn't looking and took off. "I have places to be!"

Smart choice: Yes. Wise choice: Not so much. I could hear them following after me, and I really had no intentions of them catching me. I figured I could handle them, that is until one of those ugly dog thingies started to run alongside me.

My bike is just like Clouds, where it has that compartment for a whole bunch of blades, which mine has, along with some guns, and knives, stock courtesy of Cloud, Yuffie, Barrett and Vincent. Basically, I was pretty much prepared for any tough situation. Taking out my Hope sword, and another blade, I fixed them together, making a bigger sword that I like to call the Cherish Sword. With my eyes remaining on the road ahead of me, I slashed my sword out to the side, getting one of the ugly bastards. I continued with that method, until I sort of got knocked of the bike, but luckily, I was able to hop back on gracefully. After getting rid of the last monster, Yazoo and Loz decided it would be fun to try and shoot me, so they began to.

"Where's mother!" Loz shouted over the sound of the fighting.

I threw a kunai knife that Yuffie had given me for my birthday, and the sight of it hitting Loz in the arm brought me much pleasure, at least until Yazoo thought it would be funny to swerve his back in front of me in mid-air, and shoot at my beloved head. I thought I was gonna fall onto the ground as the stupid bullet hit me in the head, but thank Shiva that the bullet ricocheted of my goggles, which kinda broke in the process, and the bullet sorta gave me a small scratch, and my goggles fell off. Poor goggles.

I was surrounded by more monsters, and I was ready to see my death, when the black cloud disappeared, along with the two silver haired freaks. Out of surprise, I stopped my bike, and looked up at one of the hills, to see an awfully terrifying face that I really despised. I despised him so much, I found myself saying his name out loud.

"Kadaj…" After several moments of staring off at each other, the three silver haired freaks drove off, leaving only dust.

This situation was like a replay from the last time.

* * *

"Hey, Kadaj? Why didn't you just let us kill her right then? She would just get in the way of our plans." The man known as Yazoo asked.

Kadaj smirked to himself before turning around to face his two brothers. "Because I plan to involve her in our plans. Actually, she is needed in this one." Kadaj explained.

"But for what? She's just gonna try and beat us up even if we do leave her alone." Loz complained, wrapping his arm up in gauze to stop the bleeding that the kunai knife had caused.

"You'll see…Just wait. That girl will be mine, whether she likes it or not."

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A/N: Gasp, what is Kadaj planning! I know that this is just like the scene in Advent Children, but I am terrible at action scenes, so please just bare with me! Please review, and you'll get an awesome cookie! LATER TATERS!


	22. Cloud Comes To His Senses

A/N: So, I cant help but have the idea that this chapter was terrible, and being as I was to lazy to fix it, I apologize if it is horrid. I cant help but feel that I am just recreating my own version of advent children in some of these scenes, and I am doing my best at not doing that, so I am sorry if that's what it seems like to you guys. Also, I need help…if one of my oh so very kind readers that loves this story would be kind enough to give me some suggestions on what you would like to happen with the way this plot is going, then feel free to say something, because I would really like the help and suggestions! I am a very terrible and pitiful author, but I digress…Go, my wonderful readers, go and read!

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22. Cloud Comes to his senses

"So, you were ambushed by the remnants?" Tifa asked me, wrapping the gauze around my cut on my head.

"Yea. The only way to cure it is to get rid of them…again." I winced as she finished wrapping my wound.

"But we need Cloud…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Since when haven't we been able to fight without Cloud? We've done it before, and we can do it again! I slammed my fist down onto the table, anger boiling inside me. Tifa slightly jumped at the sudden action.

"Since when do you think we always need Cloud?"

"He's always been the leader…"

"No, he hasn't! Remember when we couldn't find him that time? You were our leader during that time, and when you left and took care of him, Cid was our leader! Don't you get it! We cant always depend on Cloud to be around to help us fight the battles! We've fought without him before, and we sure as hell can do it again!"

The sound of leather and boots caused me to turn around to our current person of subject. Tifa quietly walked out of the room to leave us be.

"So, you finally decided to forgive yourself and come back, huh?" I asked him, my voice a tiny bit hopeful.

Cloud looked down at the floor. "There's no cure at all this time. We've already lived through this once, so what's the point of doing it again?"

I sighed loudly, causing him to look up at me. "There you go, again. Giving up so simply. Dilly Dally Shilly Shally." He looked shocked as I spoke the same words Aerith used to. "You foolish bastard! Quit giving up hope and moping around when there is nothing to mope around about! I'm pretty sure that you know that no one blames you for anything, right? So quit blaming yourself for Leviathan's sake, and fight back! Have something like this: Hope! Have hope, and believe! That's what everyone that has been infected with the stigma is doing now! They're fighting back! And they sure as hell need help from us, including you!"

Cloud looked down at the ground sadly. "Haley, I cant even help my family and friends, let alone everyone else. I'm not fit to help anyone."

I shook my head. "Y'know, he told you to be his living legacy." Cloud looked up, startled. "He told you to live…for the both of you. And right now, you're just planning to give up and die. Some living legacy you promised to be if you just plan to give up!"

Clouds PoV-

After those words came from her mouth, I was thrown into some white area, like an empty and open place. I figured that I was alone, until I heard a familiar voice.

_"Y'know, she's right. I picked you as my living legacy, so you could go on and live for the both of us."_

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I uttered out his name. "Z-Zack."

_"But, how can you live for the both of us, if you just give up?"_

I felt guilty now. My sister was right. I am being a foolish bastard.

"But…what if there isn't a cure this time? Then it all would've been for nothing…"

_"Maybe you should quit with 'what-ifs' and start going with the 'there is.' Don't give up. Just remember to embrace your dreams…and protect your honor, Cloud. Regain your hope, and remember that you aren't fighting alone. Your friends will be there if you need help, as long as you call them for it."_

_'Regain my hope..? Regain my hope…Regain my hope, got it!'_

A bright light flashed and I found myself back in the bar staring at my sister. I smiled lightly before turning on my heel and towards the door, mumbling:

"You're right. I am his Living Legacy."

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A/N: Sorry for the shortness, and I promise that there will be some action in the next chapter, so bare with me for now! i know that this was way to short, but I ran out of ideas on how to end the chapter, so yea. I hope you enjoyed it enough to review! LATER TATERS!


	23. Of Anger and Promises, Along with a kiss

A/N: Ok, so this is actually a redo, because when I wrote the original chapter 23, I found that I really disliked how I went with the chapter, plus I was asked for more Reno, and I felt that I should've made this chapter with plenty of Reno, so that's what I did J! Also, I am beginning to regret ever making this sorta bad-guy, crisis of the planet scene in this part of the story…I mean, I should've thought! I have this feeling that I should delete this part of the story and start over with something new and better, but you, my lovely reviewers and readers, insist that you like it, so I will do my best to keep going with what I have so far, but I shall warn you that I have no idea where I am planning to go with this part of my story, so feel free to criticize me about it, as long as it's not to harsh for me, because I am a very sensitive person…Any ways, this chapter is probably short, so I apologize for it, and if it is really crappy, I am sorry if it is…Don't forget to give me your opinions in reviews! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Final Fantasy VII, because if I somehow suddenly did, there would probably no more story! What I do own, is this story, my own characters, and my very own copy of the Final Fantasy 7 game.

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23. Of Anger and Promises, along with a Kiss

I drove all the way back to Healin, being as there was nothing to do back at the bar. Plus, I just wanted to see Reno. I parked my bike in front of the lodge, and made my way up the steps to the door. I knocked on it quickly and waited. The door opened up to show the face of Reno.

"Hey, what're you doing back here?" Reno asked , moving aside to let me through.

"Well…I was bored back home, and…well, I just wanted to see you." I smiled at him before plopping onto the couch. I looked back at him, and noticed that he was frowning at me. "What?"

"I know that you didn't have a bandage on your head when you left here. What happened?" Crap…

"Oh, this? Well…" I thought about excuses, because I didn't want him to worry about my life, and do something stupid…"I fell and hit my head on a table?"

He stared at me with an expression that said _'Cut the crap and tell the truth.'_ I gave out a loud sigh.

"I was ambushed while driving through the wastelands…" Even though I said it with a barely audible voice, he still heard…and freaked out.

"What! Who was it? Did you get a face? Tell me who it was so I can kick their asses!" See, this is why I really didn't want to tell him…

"Look, just calm down." I placed my hands on his shoulders, and sat him down on the couch. "I'm alright. It was just an extremely small scratch that Tifa felt she had to doctor and bandage." He still seemed mad, so I thought of something else. "Here, I'll show you." I took the bandage off from my cut, and when he saw the size, he relaxed some. "See? Just a small scratch. No biggie."

"It was Kadaj and his gang, wasn't it?" Wow, he is a good guesser.

"Yea…It was them…"

It became silent…Too silent for my liking. Reno looked like he was debating on whether to worry, or to flip out and shoot someone. And this silence was extremely painful for my liking.

"Reno…?" I mumbled after about five minutes of nothing, hoping that he was calm.

"I'll kill them." I couldn't believe I had heard those words.

"…Reno, calm-"

"How can you say to calm down! You were almost killed today!" Reno shouted, looking at me with a shocked expression.

"It's just a scratch. I'm still alive."

"I know you just didn't get knocked down and scratched your head on something. That was caused by a bullet grazing your skin…on your head! Do you know that you're very lucky to even be alive!" Reno was fuming.

I had never seen Reno so angry about something before. I mean, I've seen him mad, but not this mad…And it was scaring me.

"Reno…stop it…" I mumbled, turning my gaze away as he looked at me with angered eyes.

"Why?"

"Because you're scaring me."

The silence came back, more painful than the first time might I add. Reno said nothing for a long time, and I kept my eyes fixated on the window at the other side of the room.

"Haley?" I felt a hand gently grab mine, and turned to look at Reno, who's face seemed to have softened. "I'm sorry…It's just…I-I" He stumbled for the words, and I couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"You just care, don't you?" I looked at him, and smiled as he nodded his head.

"I just…I just don't know what I would do…if you…." I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face into his chest.

"You don't have to say it. I know what you mean."

I felt him wrap his arms around my waist, and he pulled me closer to deepen the embrace. I breathed in his scent: Cologne and cigarette smoke, with hint of alcohol. It was the essence that was Reno. I felt him pull away from the hug, and I looked up at him. He leant his forehead against mine, staring into my eyes.

"Reno, promise me that you wont do anything stupid when the time comes to fight the battles…"

He looked at me with a confused face. "What do you mean?"

"Don't do something that could cost you your life…just don't die out there, alright."

"But, what about you?"

"Reno, I'm a big girl. I'm Haley Strife, little sister of Cloud Strife, and a hero of the Planet. I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself." I reassured him with a small peck on the cheek.

The thought of losing Reno was one that I refused to think about. I will admit that I care for Reno a lot more than you would think. I considered him my security blanket in a way…And…Well, I love him.

Reno leant down and pressed his lips to mine, before pulling back again.

"I promise."

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A/N: Aw, how sweet! I know that there probably wasn't enough fluff for some peoples liking, but at least there was some, so get over it! Please review, my wonderful reviewers! LATER TATERS!


	24. The Kids

A/N: Yea….this chapter is probably my worst one yet, so I feel kinda upset about it now. My brain has seemed to run out of ideas, so I'm sorry for its crappiness. I had no idea on what I wanted to happen in this chapter, so I just typed down what seemed like a good idea. So, enjoy…

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24. The Kids

I sat at the bar down stairs, talking to Tifa while she washed it down. We were enjoying the peace and quiet while Marlene and Denzel were out visiting the old church. They had asked me to come with them, but I decided not to, so I could visit with Tifa instead. They have been gone for about 2 hours now, and I cant help but feel a little anxious and worried. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

"I think I'm gonna go out for awhile." I concluded, standing up and walking out the door. I hopped onto Fenny, and started her up, and took off down the streets, heading over to the church.

After a few minutes of riding around, I reached the church. Right when I was about to hop off, my PHS went off. I took it out from my pocket and answered.

"Hello?"

_'I think that they're back at their old base.' Cloud said._

"Who? Kadaj? What makes you say that?" I asked, making my way into the church. I looked around and I saw that no one was there.

_'Think about it. The first time they were there, they did something to the water to make it control people with Geostigma once they drank it. Geostigma is like a virus that is caused by Jenova cells in a way, right?'_

I shrugged, and continued my search inside the church for the kids. "I guess that would make sense, but what I'm confused about is how those three are back here if we already killed them. They disappeared and joined the Lifestream. You even saw it with your very own eyes. How can they just come back like that?"

_'I don't know, but I think that because of what they are, they cant die just like that. There's something that's out there that is making them come back.' _Cloud said, sounding like he was deep in thought. I looked and looked, but I saw no Marlene and Denzel.

"Marlene? Denzel? You guys still here?" I called out while Cloud thought things over.

_'The first time, they were after Jenovas head. But when Kadaj got a hold of it, he used it to turn himself into Sephiroth. But they say they're still looking for 'mother.''_

"That's right. After Kadaj absorbed Jenovas remains into his body, he dropped the thing and it fell down into the remains at the ruins. There'd be no way of finding it now, since it's probably buried under a bunch of debris. But if they found 'mother' the first time, why do they still think she's around?" I walked over to the middle of the church, where the flowerbed surrounded the healing waters. I had spent many days trying to fix the flowerbed back to the way it had looked before Kadaj had so cruelly killed it, and I had finally gotten it back to the way it had looked when Aerith had taken care of them.

_'I don't know, but whatever the reason, we have to stop them before they do anymore damage to the Planet, and find whatever it is they're looking for before they do.'_ Cloud concluded.

I looked around the flower bed, when in noticed a small sheet of paper lying amongst the flowers. I spoke to Cloud before I picked the paper up.

"Do you think that they're trying to create another Sephiroth?" I asked, pondering the idea myself.

_'Who knows, but I'm pretty sure that is one possibility we should be worried about.'_

I picked up the small paper lying amongst the flowerbed as he continued talking. I noticed there was writing on it, so I read it.

**'I knew that you would be smart enough to look here. The kids are with us in the forgotten city. I suggest that you come alone, because im sure you wouldn't want to see them with a small scratch on their little faces.'**

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I finished reading the note. Cloud seemed to had taken noticed to my silence.

_'Haley, you there? Is something the matter?'_

I couldn't help but find myself uttering the very place. "Forgotten City, Cloud."

_'Wait, you mean that-' _I hung up and pocketed my PHS before he had the chance to finish. I made my way out of the old church and to Fenny, hopping on and trying to get my trembling hand to turn the Keys. My PHS ringing caused me to pull my hand away from the ignition. I flipped my PHS open and pressed it to my ear.

_'Auntie Haley!' _Marlene's voice sounded frightened and sad as she spoke.

_'Aunt Haley, help!' _Denzel shouted into the phone.

"Marlene! Denzel!" I cried out into the phone, relieved that they were still able to talk.

_'Aunt Haley, get-' _Denzel's voice was suddenly muffled and Marlene began to shout to let her go as a new voice talked to me.

_'So, it seems that you found our little note. You have a very good eyesight.' _That bastard!

"What do you want with them?" I found myself shouting, angered that Kadaj was acting as if nothing was wrong with kidnapping two children.

_'Why, they're only here as my current entertainment until the actual one arrives. You know,' Kadaj began, his voice trailing off. 'It would be a terrible shame if they ended up with a small scratch.' _I could here the smile in his voice, and I then heard the kids shouting.

"Don't you lay a damn finger on them!" I shouted into the phone. "What is it that you want?"

The shouting stopped and I felt my heart-beat slow down a little.

_'Why, you, of course. There may be a way for you to help them…if you come to the forgotten city.'_

I growled. "If I find as so much of a bruise on either of them, I will kill you!" I snapped my phone shut and started Fenrir 2, and took off out of the Midgar Ruins and headed for the forgotten city.

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A/N: So, what did you guys think? Was it ok? Sorry if it was too short! Please review! LATER TATERS!


	25. Return To The Forgotten City

A/N: Ok, so last chapter got a good review, so I have regained my confidence in this story once more! Any ways, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

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25. Return to the Forgotten City

I raced down the roads of the Forgotten City, with only one thing going through my mind:

_'Save the kids.' _That was the only thought I could manage to focus on while I drove. Cloud had been calling me back for the past hour while I drove, but I didn't bother to stop and answer, and I could only pray to the gods that he knew what I meant when I had said the forgotten city.

Finally, I reached the water that had been tainted by Kadaj when he walked into it. It was Aerith's resting place when she died. I turned my bike off, hopping off in the process, being sure that I was armed too, incase I needed to do something drastic. Carefully, I walked forward, sword in hand, listening around and watching my surroundings. I'm a person that cant get sneaked up on easily, so the chances of someone coming up behind me without me knowing it were very slim.

I crept along, looking and listening for anyone, especially the kids, being as they were my top priority at the moment. Just as I was about to turn around the corner, I felt something hard and cold against my temple, and an arm reach around to pin my arms against my sides.

"So, you came after all?" I could hear the smirk in Yazoo's voice as he held the gun against my head. I couldn't believe he had snuck up behind me without me noticing!

I flailed around in his arms, but I only found his grip tighten around me as I tied. "_Ah, ah, _we wouldn't want you to end up dying before you rescued those children you seem to care so much about. Now, I am going to let you go, and when I do, drop your sword." He released me and I did as I was told. I watched as he picked it up and held it in his other hand, while holding the gun against my head in the other. "Good…now walk forward."

I walked forward and he followed behind, gun now poking me in the back. In all honesty, I was now in some deep shit, seeing as he was able to come up from behind me without me noticing it. After what seemed like forever, when it was only a few short minutes, we reached the our destination, and I was met with the sight of Marlene and Denzel, sitting in two chairs, and tied up.

Denzel looked over at us upon the entrance. His face seemed to brighten up. "Aunt Haley!"

Marlene looked up and smiled. "Auntie Haley!"

"Marlene! Denzel!" I began to run forward, but I was jerked back by Yazoo.

"So, you really seem to value the well being of these two children." Kadaj's voice said from somewhere, before he appeared in front of me.

"Why did you take them?" I growled at him. He smirked.

"Why, in order to use them to lure my entertainment here."

I squirmed out of Yazoo's grip and began to march towards Kadaj, only to stop when I heard the sound of a gun cock.

"Now, Yazoo, no need to shoot our guest here. Instead, let's give her the choices."

Yazoo lowered his gun, and Kadaj began to circle around me. "Being as you value the lives of those two children, I'll make you a deal: In exchange for their captivity, _you _take their place, and help _us. _Or, we could just kill them and you right here."

Yazoo held his gun to Denzel's head, and I couldn't help but feel like crying my eyes out at the sight. If I wanted the kids to be able to go home, I would have to give up my own freedom for theirs. I looked back at Kadaj to see him smirking, and back to the kids I have come to love so much. They felt like my own kids, and to just see them suffering through this made my heart wrench in pain and sadness. They were to young to have to go through something like this. So…I did the only thing I could that would allow them to go safely.

"If it's me that you want, then let them go. I'll take their place." Denzel and Marlene looked as if they were about to cry upon hearing those very words come from my own mouth. "On one condition: I get to talk to them and they get to leave without anyone escorting them."

Kadaj thought about this for a moment, and I couldn't help but smirk inside my mind. Little did the silver-haired bastard know that I already had plan figured out that would hopefully work. Finally, Kadaj nodded his head in approval, and I moved over to the kids.

"Aunt Haley, how could you?" Denzel asked me as I bent down to his level and began to untie the ropes around the two. "Now you'll never be able to get back…"

"And how are we supposed to get home?" Marlene added in. "Without you, we-"

_"Shhh!"_ I put a finger to my lips, motioning for them to be quiet. "Listen, Denzel, I am going to give you a hug after I get you untied, alright?" I explained, whispering quietly to him. "When I do, I am going to slip my PHS into your back pocket. Once you get away from the three dorks over there, open it up and go to contacts. Scroll down to the V's and call the first one you see. Tell him who it is, and tell him that I'm in trouble, and where I am at. Tell him I said to make sure to hitch a ride. Got it?" I undid the last of the rope that was left, and threw it to the side.

"Yeah, I got it." The two stood up and I grabbed them both into a hug, slipping my PHS that was in my hand into the back pocket of Denzel's pants. No one noticed, and I couldn't help but smile out stupid these idiots were. I let go of the kids, and gave Denzel a quick wink.

"They can walk out by themselves. Leave them be." I told Kadaj as I saw he was about to ask Loz to walk the kids out.

"Fine." Kadaj agreed, moving over towards me as Denzel grabbed Marlene's hand and took off and away from here. Once they were out of sight, Kadaj grabbed my arm.

"Let me go!" I shouted, struggling in his iron type grip, which only tightened in the process of my escape attempts.

"No, I don't think I will." I saw him smile. "You see, that isn't my intention whatsoever." He looked at me with an unknown emotion burning in his eyes.

"W-what do you mean?" I stuttered as he continued to pull me along.

"You see, I plan on keeping you here with me."

"Sorry, but I already have a boyfriend!" I bit back, beginning to get what his intentions were.

"Oh, that red-head that tried to stop me the first time when I went after Rufus?" He smirked at me before continuing. "It would be an awful shame if something happened to him because you wouldn't cooperate with us now, wouldn't it?" I felt my breath hitch in my throat, and his smirk grew wider. He knew that he had me in a boxed in a corner.

"What are you going to do?" I felt, dare I say, terrified, something I haven't felt in a long time. Kadaj let my arm go, and turned around, grabbing my shoulders in the process, and pushed me into the wall.

"We're going to play a little game." He grabbed my chin and tilted it up so I could look at his hideous face. When he was about to lean in and kiss me, I definitely lost my cool.

I kneed him right in the nuts, and pushed him off of me, moving to stand a few feet behind him. I saw my sword over to the side and grabbed it, before smirking at Kadaj.

"Instead of playing your game, why don't we play mine?" He looked up at me, a flash of anger on his face, which was soon gone when he smirked at me.

"And what would that be?"

"The game where I fight you off of me, because I'm not going to be your little _'toy'._ Thing is, neither of us can die, being as you really wanted me here. If I lose, then, well…I guess I have no choice but to give myself up to you." _Yea, not in million years!_

He seemed to brighten up as he heard the last part of the rules. "Hmm, this should be fun, being as you'll soon be lying on the ground and begging for my mercy." He unsheathed his Masamune like sword and got into a battle stance, while I flitted back several more feet with my current sword, the Cherish Sword. If I had to, I could easily undo both swords, and have two I could use.

I smiled at how he thought I would lose. "I forgot to mention one thing though."

He quirked an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

I closed my eyes and smirked. "Most important thing about my game:" I jumped up into the air before he knew what had happened, and began to crash down towards him, my sword aimed at him.

"I never lose at my own games!"

* * *

"Denzel, can you call the person now?" Marlene asked as they had stopped to rest after what seemed like hours of running, when it had only been several minutes.

"Yea." Denzel reached for his pocket, and pulled out the PHS that Haley had slipped in there when she hugged him. He flipped it open and went into contacts, and scrolled down to the V's, and finding only one, he called it.

The dial tone came in, and it only rang about three times before a man with a bit of a gruff voice answered.

_'Hello?'_ Denzel perked up when he recognized the voice on the other line. Before he could reply back, Marlene grabbed the phone from him and began to talk to the man, who's name she remembered right away when she saw it highlighted in the contacts.

"Uncle Vincent, Auntie Haley's in trouble!"

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A/N: Yay! It's a cliffy, which is not what I am yaying about, but the fact this chapter turned out really good to my liking, so review! LATER TATERS!


	26. Haley VS Kadaj!

A/N: Ok, I have confidence that this chapter was ok, so I hope that it is through all of your eyes. Please, read and enjoy!

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26. Help is on the way/ Haley V.S Kadaj!

Vincent Valentine was a man who preferred nothing more than to be left alone, unless needed. Every time his phone would ring, he would begin to regret even having it. But not having it with him would have made one girl frown.

It had been something that the youngest Strife sibling insisted on giving him for Christmas those few months ago. She had told him that everyone had always worried about how he was doing, so she took the job of getting him some source of communication for him so everyone could check up on him once and awhile. She had given it to him, programmed with everyone's number in it already. He liked the idea of having one, until Yuffie had found out what his number was and would constantly call him. Everyone else would call him to either bug him about something that would only waste his time. The only people that actually never called him were…well, just only Cloud. However, his sister, would call but not even as much as their other friends would. Haley would call only when it was an emergency, and only to check up on him when she hadn't seen him in awhile.

So, when his phone began to ring, he couldn't help but groan in annoyance, not expecting to hear the voice of someone else come over the line when it was someone else's phone that they were calling with, especially hearing Marlene's little voice speak with fear and worry.

"Marlene, why do you have Haley's phone?" the question was a stupid one to ask when the little girl had just screamed to him the owner of the said phone was in trouble. Soon afterwards, he heard someone tell Marlene to give them the phone back, and was immediately met with the voice of Denzel.

_"Vincent, it's Denzel and Marlene here."_ Denzel said, confirming that Marlene was not by herself._ "Aunt Haley gave us her phone so we could call you."_

"Yes, but why are you two telling me this instead of her?" Vincent asked, clearly oblivious to the fact that Marlene had just told him.

_"Because she's in trouble. Those three silver haired guys from before have her. We were able to get away, because she took our places instead so we could run off and call you for help." _Denzel explained to Vincent.

_'Kadaj?' _Vincent asked mentally, shocked that it was even possible. "Where are you?"

_"The forgotten city. You need to get here and help! Aunt Haley said to hitch a ride and get over here."_

"Stay where you are. I'm on my way with help."

_"Ok. See you then." _The line clicked, and Vincent dialed another number.

_'Yea?'_ The voice of a gruff pilot answered.

"I need a ride to the forgotten city. Haley is in trouble there, along with the kids. Get here as fast as you can, and call for back-up if you can." With that, he hung up, and walked out of the mansion to await the Shera while he dialed another number.

_'Hello?'_

"Are you aware that your sister has been captured and being held hostage by the remnants? The kids are also there, and they were lucky to escape." Vincent informed Cloud while he waited for Cid and the his ship.

_'Damn!' _Cloud exclaimed over the phone, before hanging up on Vincent, confirming that he was going after his sister.

* * *

I flipped out of the way before Kadaj could bring his sword down upon me. I wasn't sure how long we had been going at it, but I wasn't tired in the least.

_'Help should be on its way….'_ I thought mentally while leaping out of Kadaj's way again.

"Y'know, I don't understand exactly why you need me here anyway." I said as I landed in a tree, watching as Kadaj took in breaths of air, panting from the work he was doing.

"Because…you're needed…for our plan to take over the planet for mother…and to find her." Kadaj said, leaping up after me, only to miss me as I jumped out of the way and back down to the ground.

"What is so special about needing me for that?" I asked him as our swords clashed together. "I mean, the last time you found you _'mother', _Sephiroth came back instead. I thought that you hated Sephiroth because your momma treats him better than you!" I blocked his sword again as I spoke the words of his jealousy towards Sephiroth.

"We need you, because you have something special. Your magic is stronger than anyone else's, and you really don't have to use materia at all. With your kind of magic, we could take over the planet together!" What a nut-job…

"I don't need to rule the planet, when I can be saving it instead!" Our swords clashed again, and I realized that I hadn't used any magic whatsoever during this little match. Probably wise, seeing as using magic just tires you out more quickly.

"Why would you want to help others, when they are just pitiful and useless?" Kadaj clashed his sword against mine with more strength, and I flew back a little, landing in a tree, and looking up just in time to see Kadaj coming after me, about to slash me down. I dodged, but in the process, Kadaj kicked my sword out of my hand, and used fire magic to hurdle me to the ground. I landed, and everything began to hurt. I opened my eyes to see Kadaj come down towards me, ready kill me. I used my magic and made a shield to make him bounce off and fly off somewhere, but I soon immediately regretted the action, because I grew extremely exhausted afterwards.

Weakly and painfully, I stood up and grabbed my sword that had landed next to me, scanning around to see where the silver haired bastard went off to. When I felt a slight breeze blow past me from behind, I lifted my sword and twirled backwards to block the oncoming attack. When I saw the smirk on Kadaj's face, I became confused, until I was hit with a powerful force of magic.

**"AGHHHH!"** I screamed out in pain, my body aching as I was hit and knocked through the air. Kadaj flew through the air, and I was to weak to try and shield myself from him. I felt his sword slash through and stab my stomach. I cried in pain as he grabbed me by the hair and threw me down to the ground, where I landed with a big thud. I saw him fall back down and I felt him grab me again and throw me into the air, where he landed his final assault. He stabbed me practically everywhere, and I was surprised that my chest was the only part of my body that was being left alone. He hit my shoulders and my legs, along with my arms. He grabbed me one last time and let me hurdle to the ground below.

He landed and walked over to my wounded and bloody body, an evil and cruel smile on his face.

"It seems that you have lost your own game. Looks like you are at my mercy. Would you rather let me use as a 'toy' or would you prefer to help me take over the planet instead?"

I winced as I smirked at him. "I'd….rather _die_….than help _you _with anything, you fucking bastard!"

He smiled at me before kneeling down next to me. He trailed a finger down my throat, and smirked as I flinched at the touch. He grabbed his sword and stabbed me in the side, and laughed as I screamed out in pain, before throwing me back in the air and back down to the cold and hard ground.

Forget living! I just wanted to die now! I looked over at him and saw as he was about to land another blow to my already tired and wounded body, when I heard a motorcycle engine, and saw a glimpse of red dart towards me as Kadaj turned his attention to the noise of a motorcycle, allowing my rescue team to grab me and get out.

"Am I dead yet?" I asked as Vincent jumped through the trees, me, limp in his arms as he did so.

* * *

"Not yet. Try not to talk, and stay awake if you can. Cloud will take care of the rest." Vincent said to the young woman. Never had he seen her in such terrible shape before, Kadaj before, although his brothers had attempted in successfully almost killing her. But she wasn't anywhere near as bad as she was then, so that gave him a bit of relief.

He finally reached the Shera, and made his on the ship. Cid had met him about halfway up the rope and took the injured girl from his arms and into his own.

"Shit, Kid! You look like you were used for target practice!" Cid exclaimed as he looked over her.

Haley did her best to laugh a bit at it, but only ended up wincing at the action. "Don't make me laugh, Cid. It hurts to…" Haley begged the pilot.

"You got it! Hey, Brat! Think you could help her out?"

Upon hearing her nickname given to her by the pilot, our young Wutaian ninja popped out of nowhere. "Sure thing!"

They carefully laid her down on a bed. Vincent moved into the room to see how bad the wounds were. She had multiple stab wounds, that were thankfully not as bad as the last time. Nothing was broken, amazingly, and she was still alive. The only thing that was wrong with her was that she was completely sick from all the exhaustion from going on so long with out a break. Cid went back to give his co-pilot the word to get back to Midgar, and Vincent stayed in the room with Yuffie and Haley, watching as Yuffie cast cure over the injured girls body. The kids were on the bridge, seeing how the Shera was flown, so they had nothing to worry about. After about an hour, all the wounds were closed, with no scars left behind. Yuffie left to her own room to wallow in from her airsickness, and to just rest, leaving Vincent to stay with the younger Strife sibling, until a familiar red-head entered the room.

"I'll take it from here, Valentine." Vincent nodded to Reno, before leaving the room.

Reno gave out a loud sigh, making his way over to the bed that his sleeping girlfriend laid in. He sat in the chair next to the bed, holding her hand in his. When he had heard from Cloud that she had been kidnapped, he almost jumped to action himself, but not before hearing that he could get on the Shera. So, he did. As much as he had wanted, he knew that he would've been no match for Kadaj alone to save her. He would've just gotten killed, and that was something he had promised not to do. He felt himself drifting off, with only one thing in his mind:

_'You're one tough girl, babe...Thank the gods you're alive...'_

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A/N: Sorry if you guys were wanting Reno to come and help her, but just be glad that I even had him in this chapter! Reviews please!


	27. Because, Reno, She Loves You

A/N: YESSSS! Last chapter was friggin amazing, something that I wasn't expecting! I have a feeling that I know how I am gonna end this pat of the plot of our story, because it's far from over! I am glad that everyone liked the last chapter, so I hope that you like this one. Enjoy!

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27. Because, Reno….She Loves You

When Tifa had heard that the Kids had been kidnapped, and Haley had gone after them by herself, she couldn't help but worry. She had wanted to go to the forgotten city with everyone else, but she had decided to stay back at the bar to wait for them to come back to make sure she had enough medical supplies incase anyone was badly hurt. She had been nervous, anxiously pacing back and forth, awaiting the return, so when she heard the front door swing open, she couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief when she saw that it had been Reno, Haley in his arms. Immediately, she ran over to them.

"What happened to her?" She asked trying to inspect her friend.

Reno adjusted the sleeping girl in his arms. "She thought it would be fun to take on Kadaj." Reno moved past her to allow the others to come in. She was surprised to see only Vincent, Yuffie, and the kids come in behind him before shutting the door.

"Tifa!" The kids exclaimed, running into her arms for a much needed embrace.

"Thank Gaia you two are alright!" Tifa held them in her arms for a minute, before turning to Vincent. "Where are the others?"

"Cid went to go pick up Barrett, Cait Sith, and Red." Vincent explained, taking a place by leaning against the wall. "They'll be back later."

Tifa nodded, before letting go of the kids. "And what about Cloud?"

Vincent looked down at the ground before answering. "He came in and stopped Kadaj from killing her. We left him there to take care of him."

"We would've stayed and helped, but Haley needed to get out of there before she lost too much blood, which she had already kinda done when we got her, but she was still alive." Yuffie explained, Tifa's eyes widening at hearing that her friend would've died.

"You say that she was injured….what happened to those injuries?" Tifa asked.

"I healed them…well, what I could manage at least, but I still healed them all. She'll just be really sore for a few days, and she still has a whole bunch of bruises, but nothing to serious." Yuffie informed.

"She was lucky, because she had no broken bones." Vincent added in.

"You said that she was bleeding…what exactly happened to cause that?"

Yuffie remained silent, as did Vincent, until Vincent broke it with the answer.

"She had multiple stab wounds like the last time, though it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it was the last time. She wasn't anywhere near death, and the wounds weren't that deep."

Tifa looked down at the ground sadly. "What I don't understand, is _why _she would go without saying anything, let alone, _by herself…"_

"Perhaps she had a particular reason…She'll tell us, once she wakes up…" Vincent reassured.

Tifa nodded, before moving to speak with the kids, bending down to there level.

"Do you two know what happened?" Tifa asked, looking at their faces.

"She came after us and got us away from them. But…she stayed behind because she gave up her freedom so we could have ours back." Denzel said. "That's all we know."

Tifa nodded. She knew that was probably all the information she would get from anyone, until Haley woke up. She moved out and up the stairs, heading for Haley's room. The door was open, and she saw the youngest Strife sibling in the bed, and covered up, sleeping away peacefully, Reno in a chair beside the bed, watching over her carefully as she slept away.

"Y'know," Tifa said, making her way to stand next to the chair Reno sat in. "I know that you feel awful about not being able to do anything to help her."

Reno put his head in his hands. "I just wish that I could've gone and helped her…But I probably wouldn't have lasted 5 seconds against Kadaj. I don't see why she didn't say anything about it."

"I think the reason she didn't tell you to go with her, was because she knew that you would get hurt, and that's something she doesn't want to happen to you."

Reno shook his head. "Why would she care what happened to me?"

Tifa put a hand on his shoulder. "Because, Reno…She **loves** you."

Reno stiffened, and his heartbeat began to increase. "Loves me? What makes you say she loves me exactly?"

"She always talks about you, and wonders what you're doing when you're not around her. She worries about you when you go on long missions, and she gets excited when you come over, and when you take her out. She loves being around you and being in your company."

Reno scoffed. "Yea, but what can I offer her? I'm just a Turk that has no important life. I've killed innocent people before…How does that make me something to love?"

"She knows what you are and what you've done, but she doesn't care. She's forgiven you. All that matters to her, is that she gets to be with you, no matter the difficulties… If you're not so sure, ask her one day. I'm pretty sure she'll give you the same answer I just did."

With that said, Tifa left the room and headed back downstairs, leaving Reno to contemplate on her words while watching over the said girl that supposedly loves him.

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A/N: Ok, so I hadn't planned for the middle part to happen, but I just couldn't stop myself, so I left out the rest of what I had planned, and decided to put it in the next chapter. Those of you that wanted to know what happened when Cloud got there before Kadaj killed Haley, I'll do my best to explain it in the next chapter, but I don't think I'll explain it all. Any way, review my lovely readers! LATER TATERS!


	28. Learing To Forgive

A/N: Hello my lovely and amazing readers and reviewers! Ok, so before I get started, I am going to say that I will not be writing about the events that took place after Cloud arrived right when Kadaj was about to kill Haley, because I'm afraid that the scene that I sort of have planned out for it is way to much like the one in Advent Children, and that is something I would kind of like to avoid. Besides, the scene I have in thought is to difficult for me to describe in writing terms, so yeah….Any way, I hope you guys wont hate me for doing that, but I do I hope you enjoy chapter 28! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yep, I do not own Final Fantasy 7, for if I did, Aerith would still be alive, and so would Zack! Plus, my storyline would be a lot different than the actual game! What I do own is Haley, and my own copy of the final fantasy 7 game!

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28. Images of the past and learning how to forgive

It had been several hours since Haley and the kids had been brought back, and just an hour since the rest of the team arrived. Everyone else sat downstairs, awaiting for our Chocobo look-alike hero, who had still not arrived yet. Reno had moved back downstairs to see what everyone else was up to, and to help get his mind off the younger Strife sibling, who was still asleep upstairs in her bed.

"I hope Cloud's ok…" Tifa mumbled, breaking the silence that had been going on for the past few hours.

Right when Tifa had said that, the door to the bar swung open, and revealed said blonde hero in all his glory. He walked in and looked around the room, almost in a nervous and worried like manner. It didn't take a second for Tifa to know what he was doing.

He was looking for his sister.

"Bout damn time you got back Spikes!" Barrett exclaimed, his voice booming in the silence.

"Where is she?" Cloud asked.

"Are you alright, Cloud?" Tifa asked moving to stand in front of him. "You're not hurt are-"

"Where is she?" Cloud asked, his question more demanding than the first time.

With a loud sigh, Tifa pointed to the stairs. "Upstairs in her room, resting."

Without a word, Cloud ran up the stairs and towards the room that occupied the person he was looking for. He stopped in the doorway to stare at the small little mound that was in the bed, covered up. He moved into the room and sat in the chair that was beside her bed. She was bruised and worn out from exhaustion and being hit. The sight of the small little bruise that was on her cheek made him want to cry, something that he hadn't done in a long time. Of course, being the brave man that he was, he controlled his emotions running inside of him, keeping his face expressionless. He felt hatred inside of him. Before he could manage to even get to Kadaj, the said man had already disappeared, along with his two brothers.

To Cloud, this was all just another repeat of the last time. Except, unlike the last time his sister went against Kadaj, she had almost died, and this time, she managed to get away with a few scrapes and such.

And Cloud, was just glad that his precious little sister, was alive.

* * *

I felt…peaceful and…light. I let my eyes flutter open. It was very bright. I sat up from my spot on the ground and looked around me. I was back in that same field of flowers, alone. The brightness of it all made me laugh a little at the irony.

"So…this is what heaven looks like, huh?" I mumbled to myself. "So…I guess I really am dead." I got up from my spot on the ground and stood up.

_"Actually, you're alive. Just…sleeping." _I looked up in front of me and saw a familiar person in a pink dress.

"Sleeping?….You mean…I'm not dead?" I asked, an amused smile finding its was on my lips.

She laughed at my question and shook her head. _"Nope. You're still alive."_

I smiled at her. "So, why am I here exactly, Aerith?"

Aerith smiled and came to stand beside me. _"Because, you need to see the importance of forgiving yourself, and about the crisis that is going on out there."_

My ear perked up at hearing about what was going out there, but I became confused about what she meant by forgiving myself.

"What do you mean?" I asked as she took my hand into her own.

She smiled at me. _"You'll see." _We were surrounded by a bright light, and I couldn't help but close my eyes at the brightness. When I opened them again, I was surrounded by familiar images that were like mini movie projection screens, with little video like things running on all of them. It took me awhile to understand what was going on, and what was being played on the screens.

They were things of what I had seen and witnessed in my life.

_"You've seen many things in your life, Haley. And some of those things brought you joy, sadness, anger, and most of all, guilt." _Aerith explained to me.

"Guilt?" I asked, practically choking on trying to speak.

Aerith nodded. _"There are many things that you feel guilty about. For one, your mothers death."_

An image of the event rolled in front of me, and I stared at it, watching it. It felt like re-living it all over again.

_"You see, if you had been there to help save her, neither of you would've lived."_ Aerith said.

"Y-you mean, that if I had been in the village, th-that I would've died too?"

Aerith nodded her head.

**"You see sweetheart, I'm glad you weren't there with me." **I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"M-mom?" I felt the hand on my shoulder tighten it's grip as I choked out the words.

**"I'm glad that I got to see you one last time before I left…that I got to tell you to take care of Cloud. But what I really meant by all that was to go on and live…" **She wrapped her shoulders around my arms. **"For the both of us."**

Her words and embrace made me smile, and it felt like a big weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, leaving only a little behind.

"For…the both of us…" I thought about those words as I was released from the embrace. After a few moments of thinking, I smiled and nodded. "For the of both us."

I turned around to see my mother, her blue eyes softened and her smile kind and gentle. Her blond hair that Cloud and I had inherited from her remained in that spiky ponytail that she always wore it in.

**"You don't need to blame yourself for my death anymore. You've forgiven yourself for that. And know this: I never blamed you for anything…not ever."** With another small smile she began to fade away in small glow of light, until it was just Aerith and me again.

"Now I understand what she meant back then…Hm!" I nodded before focusing on Aerith again.

Some of the guilt began to disappear as Aerith explained everything to me, until there was only on little movie like screen left, with one familiar scene that had been one that I had always felt guilty for.

The day that Aerith was killed.

_"You have a lot of guilt inside of your heart for this…just like Cloud did…"_

I watched as I saw myself those 3 years ago, standing there, watching as Cloud was being controlled by Sephiroth, and snapped out of it as everyone yelled for him to snap out of it. And then, Seeing Sephiroth's shadow fall down from the sky, his sword ready. I remember trying to move my feet, and use my shield on Aerith so she would be protected. I even tried to move forward and run to push her out of the way and let my self be hit with Masamune instead. When I couldn't use my magic to create a barrier, or move my feet, or run to push her out of the way and get hit instead, it felt like a bit of my very own heart was dying inside me as I watched Sephiroth stab her, a cruel smile on his face. I watched her fall forward, and her little pink ribbon fall out of her hair as she fell into her own pool of blood, and Cloud pulling her lifeless form into his arms, shaking her a little and crying out for her to wake up. A little bit of me died inside as I watched and couldn't get myself to run and save her. And when I cried out her name and tried to run forward and kill Sephiroth, I was pulled back by Cid and Vincent, who both held me down as I cried out and flailed to get over there and help. The pain inside me was unbearable, and when the fight had been finished and we had all moved to help, it was too late to do anything. Yuffie ran into Clouds arms when she tried to see if Aerith was alright, only to have that hope crushed when she didn't move. Cloud did his best to comfort Yuffie, until she made a last glance, and ran off to cry. Tifa cried, and so did Barrett. Cid had looked up to the sky, in hopes of holding back his own tears, but even that proved unhelpful, because he still ended up crying. Vincent had not cried at all, but the sadness was clear in his crimson eyes as I saw him go down and join the others, leaving me and Cloud behind. I bent down in front of the lifeless flower girl that I had come to love like a sister, and considered her my best friend in the entire world. She had become like a family member to me. When I saw her little pink ribbon lying next to her, I picked it up in my hands and stared at it before breaking down into sobs, and screaming out in sadness over the loss of my dearest friend. My heart was filled with grief and guilt. Cloud had bent down next to me and hugged me into his chest, but in the end, when my screaming had become too terrible for anyone to hear, Vincent had to come and pry me away from Cloud, so he could handle Aerith.

As I watched the burial again on the screen, I felt my eyes filling with tears. I had stood on the edge of the pool of water with the others, watching along with them as Cloud went into the water and set Aerith in it. I held onto the pink ribbon, keeping tight into my grasp, only squeezing onto it more as I watched and wept.

When the image had ended, my eyes were stinging from the tears of sadness, and guilt.

_"It isn't your fault."_ Aerith spoke as I cried.

I sniffled. "B-but I couldn't save you…I tried so hard to move and run to you so I could help you, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even cast a barrier on you to protect you. How isn't that my fault?"

_"Your actions were held back by the planet itself. I was ready to go back to it. It was only letting fate happen. You did try."_ Aerith said, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder as I sniffled and wiped my eyes.

"How?"

She smiled at me. _"You came for me. That's all that ever mattered. And I never blamed you. Not once."_

And then, all the weight on my shoulders, the guilt and grief inside me…was gone. Like it had never been there at all. All of it had been lifted off of me.

And…it felt good.

_"The planet, is in danger again. Geostigma has come back, along with Kadaj and his brothers." _Aerith explained, and I realized she was telling me about the crisis the planet was in now.

"But why are they back?"

_"Kadaj and his brothers are remnants. They're still looking for their mother. And apparently, you are the center of the plan. Kadaj plans to use you and your ability of using strong and powerful magic, to help him with this plan."_

I frowned. "But, why me though?"

_"Because, you know how to use magic that only the Ancients could use."_

My eyes widened a bit. "But im not an Ancient…"

_"True, but somehow, you have the magic running inside of your veins. They plan to get you to use it for evil. And the end results, are not ones that would be quite as good."_

Realization dawned on me. "They plan on spreading stigma all over the planet, don't they?"

Aerith said nothing, and only nodded her head.

"And if that happens, and they find whatever it is they're looking for, then…" I gasped as I realized what would happen. "They could recreate another Sephiroth!"

_"That's why they must be stopped, no matter what. The Lifestream will be tainted if they bring back Sephiroth. And the Lifestream is unable to help alone. That's why all of our friends and yourself included, must stop them. Especially you, because, in the end, you'll have to use your Ancient magic to help end the battles."_

"I understand. The only way to get the Lifestream back to strength, is for me to fight with it, and rid the planet of the stigma. Right. I know what I'll have to do now."

Aerith smiled at me before taking my hands into her own. She glanced down at my wrist, and smiled. _"I see you kept it with you." _I looked down and noticed she was staring at the pink little ribbon that was tied onto my wrist.

"Yeah…." I smiled. "thank you for your help, Aerith. I don't feel empty and sad anymore."

She smiled at me. _"Looks like, it's time wake up."_

* * *

Cloud stared as his sisters face began to ease away from the frown that had formed while she had been sleeping, and her eyes began to flutter open from her long nap. Once they were fully opened, and her gaze had settled on Cloud, she spoke.

"You didn't forget Fenrir #2, did you?"

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A/N: I just had to get her to ask about her beloved bike when she woke up! I thought it was pretty funny! Any way, hope you guys enjoyed it enough to review! LATER TATERS!


	29. Where is 'Mother' at?

A/N: I am on another roll of writing today! Anyways, last chapter seemed really amazing to me! So, I hope this chapter is just as good! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own, so get it in your heads!

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29. Where is 'mother' at?

"So, lemme get this straight." Cid said, a cigarette between his teeth as he spoke. "Those Silver haired bastards plan on spreading the stigma all over the planet, until they find what they're looking for, and then they're gonna recreate another Sephiroth?"

I nodded my head. "Pretty much, yeah." I answered as I saw him blink a few times before realization dawned on him and he groaned.

"Aw, fuck!"

"So, you know how to use Ancient magic?" Tifa asked, and I nodded my head. "And you have it running through your veins?"

"Well, yeah, at least that's she said to me."

"She?" Cloud asked, clearly confused. "_She_ who?

"Aerith." Everyone grew silent as I spoke the flower girls name.

"Could you explain the problems again?" Vincent asked me, and I sighed.

"Ok, so technically, I am the center of the remnants plan, because of my strong sense and ability to use Ancient magic. Apparently, they want me to use that magic to help them take over the planet, which I do I not plan on doing. They're still looking for '_mother' _and until they find whatever it is they're looking for, they will continue to spread the stigma until it has covered the entire planet. If they find what they're looking for, they'll recreate another Sephiroth. If they succeed in bringing Sephiroth back, the Lifestream will be tainted. And the Lifestream is unable to help fight the stigma off alone. That's why all of us, especially me must stop them. In the end, it'll be up to me and my magic, to help end the battles."

Everyone slowly took this in, talking amongst themselves, before Reno spoke up. "But what exactly are they looking for this time? They already found Jenovas fricking head."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "He's right. There isn't anything else left to look for."

I thought about this long and hard. They had found Jenovas head, but it was long gone when Kadaj had absorbed it. Last time they had only been talking about mother, and had only showed interest in her head…Wait a minute…Jenovas head last time….and they're still talking about Jenova…**THAT'S IT!**

"That's it!" I shouted as jumped up from my seat, causing everyone to slightly jump at my outburst, and me to wince as I jumped up, for my muscles were still sore from earlier.

"What's it?" Cloud asked.

"The reason they're still looking for mother, is because she's still out there, or, well, her remains at least." I explained.

"But…there isn't anything left of Jenova…" Vincent added in.

"No…there is…her cells….But wait a minute…Kadaj…..Kadaj absorbed what was left of Jenovas cells…" I inquired, thinking about all the possibilities there were with my conclusion.

"If he absorbed it the first time, then there definitely isn't anymore then." Reno pointed out, but I only ignored him.

"No, there are…Because, Kadaj….Kadaj absorbed those cells that Rufus had put in that box. Kadaj is the answer! Kadaj is the one that has all those cells! Well, most of them, that is, but don't you guys see? Kadaj is the one looking for mother, when '_mothers' _cells are already inside him!"

"Well, we already have a problem then! It's too late to stop 'em!" Cid exclaimed.

I shook my head, before turning to look at Reno. "Reno, those cells were found in the Northern Crater, right?"

Reno looked up at me and nodded. "Yea…Why do you ask?"

"If those were only some of the cells that were found, then that means that there are probably more. Kadaj is already close to the line that says no more then what you already have, and Leviathan knows he doesn't need anymore than what he already has in his system. That's why, we need to get them before he does."

"What do you mean then?" Cloud asked me as I stood up to look out the window. I turned around and smirked at him.

"We're going to the Northern Crater!"

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A/N: Sorry if it was short, but I just had to give you a cliffy! Tell me what you guys think! LATER TATERS!


	30. We're Off To The Northern Crater!

A/N: Ohmygawd! It's chapter 30! I would just like to say that this is my first story to get to the thirtieth chapter, and I am really happy! This shows how far this story has come, so I would just like to say I am really excited about this! Secondly, I don't think I would've gotten this far without the help of my lovely and amazingly awesome readers and reviewers. You guys are the ones that encouraged me to continue when you gave me such nice reviews. If it weren't for you guys that are constant reviewers, I don't think there would still even be an Untold Story anymore. You all have inspired me to continue, so I shall, even though I have no idea how many chapters I plan on going up to, seeing as I did not plan that in the beginning! So, go on and read the most important chapter that I have reached! Enjoy chapter 30!

Disclaimer: I only own my characters and plot, along with my copy of the game. Sadly, the actual characters from the game belong to Square Enix, and not to me.

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30. We're off to the Northern Crater!

Everything was set. Tomorrow, we would set off in Cid's ship, and make the several day journey to the Northern Cave. Reno and Rude, along with Elena were going with us, because Elena was the one who had gone the last time and found some of the remains. The plan was to get there, look for whatever remains were left, grab them before Kadaj, get them back here, and either hide them or, my favorite choice on the list, destroy them. Marlene and Denzel would be staying with one of our neighbors while we were gone, so we had nothing to worry about in the babysitting department. Everyone was packed up and ready to move out tomorrow morning.

**Next day, on the airship- **

"Oh, Leviathan, this is why I don't like flying!" Yuffie said, occupying herself with the bucket that I had found to give her for her airsickness.

"Man, that's damn nasty!" Barrett exclaimed, turning his attention away from Yuffie and back to whatever it was he had it on before.

I sighed, walking out of the command deck, and outside to the main deck. I had expected there to be no one out there, so when I saw a Chocobo look alike, I was mildly surprised. Quietly, I walked over to stand next to him.

"I didn't expect you of all people to be out here." I said, causing Cloud to turn around and look at me as I approached him. "So, what are you doing?"

He kept his gaze on the sky. "Thinking." Of course, the most simple answer.

"About what?" I asked, leaning against the railing.

"Mom, mostly." Cloud said, his face looking a bit down as he mentioned our mother.

"Cloud?" I asked, a bit nervous.

"Hmm?"

"I…never told you what happened before the Nibelheim incident, did I?"

Cloud shook his head, confusion clear on his face.

I sighed loudly. "I…wasn't in the town when it happened." Cloud looked at me, shocked. "That's why, I didn't end up getting hurt."

"Why weren't you there? You were supposed to be with mom…"

I looked down at the ground sadly. "About a few months after you had left, these monsters started to come into the town. I felt like me and mom weren't safe anymore, so…I wanted to learn how to fight, and protect myself and mom. I learned from the swordsman, Master Kuto. He taught me how to use a sword, and how to fight with it. He also taught me how to use a gun. I learned how to fight with my fists and martial arts thanks to Master Zangan, the same man who taught Tifa. After I had learned the basics, and completed my training with both masters, I would go out into the outskirts of town, and practice fighting, along with magic, which I learned on my own, being as I didn't really need materia to do it."

"When Sephiroth came to Nibelheim, a lot of people were ecstatic about it. When I heard he was in town, I ran out to see if you had come home to see us, but when I didn't find you, I was just disappointed, along with mom too. We had been hoping you would come and visit soon. Anyway, I was doing what I would normally do that day. Mom knew that I was going out to practice, so she let me without a problem. I had been practicing my sword arts, when I heard a big explosion. I didn't know what was exactly going at first, but I when I heard screaming, I ran back to the town." I paused, taking in a deep and shaky breath.

"When…when I got into the town, everything was on fire, and I could see Sephiroth just….just killing innocent people that were only trying to get away. I watched from the distance, and he eventually turned around and saw me. He only smirked, before walking off towards Mt. Nibel. After he left, I looked for survivors. I found Master Kuto, who was almost dead. The sword that he had in his hands was my gift for being his best student. It was the last thing he gave me, the Hope sword. I went looking around again, and some places were impossible to look, because the flames were to large. I found mom eventually…She had managed to get away, but…she was already hurt."

"What happened to her?" Cloud asked.

"She…was trying to get away…and, well…Im not exactly sure, but she had already lost a lot of blood when I found her. I tired to help her stand up, but she told me to leave her be. She made me promise to take care of you. She said that she loved you."

Cloud looked at me sadly. "What else did she say?"

I smiled cheerfully at him. "We sang the lullaby she would sing to us when we were kids."

Cloud cracked a small smile. "I remember that one. It would always help us get to sleep. She always going around either singing it or humming it."

I laughed. "Yeah, I remember that."

Cloud looked at the sky, before turning to look at me. "Do you remember how it went?"

I smiled before nodding. "Yeah. It went like this."

_'Imba wimbo_

_Wa upepo_

_Wakati unajiwa na_

_Imba wimbo wa upepo_

_Wakati ndoto tamu,'_

I took in a deep breath before continuing.

_'Lala impalka_

_Usiku usheni_

_Upepo wasiku_

_Wimbo wakona_

_Wimbo wangu_

_Inaendelea milele.'_

Cloud smiled. "Mom told us what the words meant in English. Do you remember the song in English?"

I smiled before nodding my head.

_"Sing a song_

_And for a moment_

_You will be visited by the wind_

_Sing a song_

_And for a moment_

_Dream sweetly of the wind_

_Sleep now until the night is dawn_

_The wind and the night song, they are there_

_However the song, my child, will go on forever."_

"I think you're the only one that actually remembers all those lullabies that she would sing." Cloud pointed out.

"Well, gotta hold on to something, right?" I asked as we both made our way back inside the ship.

"Yeah…you got it."

**That night- **

"Ugh, why am I going with you again?"

"Because, you're my best friend and you're part of the team. I need you here to help me! Your ninja skills will come in handy."

Yuffie and I decided on bunking together, for two reasons. 1) No one else wanted to because of her airsickness, and I was the only one that can actually handle it, and 2) She and I were best friends.

"But you have amazingly awesome ninja skills too! I taught you them!"

"True, but the more awesome ninjas there are, the better." I pointed out.

"Yea, ok…" Yuffie mumbled, falling backwards onto her bed.

I laughed at her actions, and moved to go and sit by her, when someone knocked on our door. I moved over to the door, and opened it, only to find Tifa standing there.

"Hi Tifa." I said, smiling.

"Hi Haley, Yuffie. Listen, is it alright if I bunk with you two? My room is kind of lonely without someone else there."

"Sure! You can have the top bunk on Yuffie's bed." I said, moving aside to let her in.

"Thanks." I closed the door after she had entered, and moved back to my own bed.

"Ugh, how much longer?" Oh, not this again!

I crawled into my bed, yawning. "Not much longer, Yuffs…Not…much…longer."

I was out cold before I could even finish.

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A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed, and I forgot to mention that I don't own the song that was mentioned in the story. LATER TATERS!


	31. A Day Of Mega Embarassment!

A/N: Ok, so chapter 31! So, yea, I am glad that everyone is still enjoying the story so far, so I am still working very hard on pleasing my wonderful readers and reviewers, so if you are disappointed, I apologize, but I will still do my best! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything besides the story and Haley!

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31. A day of Awkwardness and Mega embarrassment

"Heeeeyyyy, wakey-wakey!" Nooooo…annoying voice…go away!

"Ngh, stupid voice…." I grumbled, rolling over onto my side and away from the direction the voice was coming from.

"Well, that was just plain rude…" The voice mumbled.

"Just as rude as it is to wake someone up when they're sleeping very nicely." I retorted.

"Look, babe, I know you're enjoying your beauty sleep and all, but you're missing breakfast!" Reno whined, laying down next to me.

"Not hungry." I mumbled, covering my face with the blankets.

"Doesn't matter if you're hungry or not, get up!" Reno grabbed on to the my source of warmth and pulled it off of me. I was met with a cold blast of air from the air-conditioner.

"Shit, Reno!" I grabbed the blanket from and buried myself back in it, shivering slightly. "It's freezing! Now I'm cold!" I whined, pouting at him angrily.

"Sorry…Want me to make it up to you?" Reno asked, his voice becoming seductive all of the sudden.

"Hmph! Let me go back to sleep and I'll call it even." I said, turning over to face away from him.

I felt him pull the blanket away, and he crawled in next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and pulling me to press against his chest.

"I don't think I want to call it even by letting you go back to sleep." I could hear the seductiveness in his voice, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Too bad, because that's exactly what you're gonna do." I so bluntly put it, mentally smirking.

"Oh, c'mon! If you aren't even gonna get up and eat breakfast, when I am practically begging you, at least let me have one kiss….please?"

"Reno, for the last time, I am very tired, and I would like to go back to sleep. You can have your kiss later." Once again, I buried my face into the covers.

"Babe, please!" Reno begged.

"No, and if you keep up your whining you wont get one at all. Besides, I have morning breath!" I felt his grip around my waist tighten, and before I could ask, Reno had turned me around to face him. He had this cute little pout on his face, and I almost died trying hold in my laughter.

"Please…" He leant his forehead against mine, and our noses touched. His breath was warm against my face, and his eyes were glazed over and full of lust. "Just one, teeny little harmless kiss?"

I felt my breath hitch in my throat, and when I couldn't form words, he took that as an ok to go ahead. And just as our lips were about to touch, and I was about to go into pure bliss….

"Hey, Haley, are you gonna come and-" Yuffie's eyes went wide when she saw what Reno and I were about to do, and to my worst fears, she screeched. "OHMYGAWD! EWWW, MAJOR GROSSNESS! I THINK I JUST WENT BLIND!"

And, of course, to make it more awkward and embarrassing, almost everyone else had to come and see what Yuffie was flipping out about. Everyone's eyes seemed to grow wide, and people began to clear there throats.

Reno seemed to shake in fear when he saw the look on Cloud's face.

"Um, haha…" I laughed nervously, pushing Reno out of my bed and onto the floor. "This isn't what it looks like!"

When no one said nothing, and just stared, I felt my face heat up. I tried reassuring them that what they had seen was not what it had looked like, but they still remained watching me. Finally, I felt myself break down.

"Thanks a lot Reno…" I muttered sadly, running out of the room, and to the bathroom, locking the door behind me, letting my tears fall.

**

* * *

**

**3 hours later-**

"Haley, c'mon, open the door!"

_"Go away!"_

"C'mon, I just want to talk to you, sweetie…" Tifa said, her motherly side kicking in.

_"Well, I don't want to talk at all! Everyone, just leave me the hell alone!"_

"Look, I'm sorry for screaming, and walking into the room without knocking if it makes you feel any better!" Yuffie piped in, only getting silence from the other side of the door.

"Look, sweetie, I know you're embarrassed by what happened, but-" Tifa stopped when she heard a choked sob come from the other side of the door.

With a loud sigh, Tifa stood up, and walked away from the door, heading back to the command deck where the others stood around, talking amongst themselves. Yuffie walked beside her, giving her a questioning look.

"You're not gonna try and get her to come out of there, or let you in to talk to her?"

"I think she wants to be left alone for now. When she feels like talking to someone, she'll let us know."

When Tifa approached everyone, there eyes turned to her.

"She still in there?" Elena asked quietly, a look of worry on her face.

Tifa nodded her head, taking a seat next to Barrett.

"Does she even realize there's more people on this ship that have to go to the bathroom?" Cid asked, annoyed that someone was so carelessly hogging the only bathroom on the ship.

"Maybe the bathroom would be free if you guys hadn't stared at her until she was on the verge of tears." Reno said, angry that they had so carelessly stood there and stared at the youngest Strife sibling.

"Oh, so now you're saying this is all our fault Turkey?" Yuffie asked, her glare boring a hole into Reno's skull.

"Well, if you hadn't of come in without knocking, and screamed, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

And so, the two began to argue back and forth for a few minutes, until they were stopped by Cloud.

"Would the two of you just shut-the hell up?" Everyone turned their attention to Cloud. "I'll go talk to her."

"Cloud, are you sure that's such a good idea?" Tifa asked, knowing that when Haley was in such a terrible mood from the embarrassment, there was no way she would even want to talk to Cloud. Women never turned to men in a situation like this, and Tifa knew how uncomfortable Cloud got when someone became emotional and he was stuck there to make them feel better. "Maybe we should just let her have some more time alone."

"Well, what exactly do you suggest we do?" Cid asked, placing a cigarette in his mouth, and lighting it. "Some of us have to go to the bathroom sometime."

"I think Reno should talk to her." Vincent's voice broke everyone's conversation, and their attention turned to him, with shock on their faces.

"WHAT?" Reno shouted.

"Well, seeing as it is mostly your fault that you made it look like you two were doing something else in that bed, you should be the one to apologize for making her feel so bad."

Before Reno could say anything else, Elena interrupted with her thoughts on the situation.

"Actually, I think we all should apologize. We kind of did stare at her and gave the impression that we thought they were, well, y'know what…and we didn't even say anything." Elena said, and that's when everyone else began to feel guilty about embarrassing their comrade like that.

"Elena's right." Tifa said. "We should apologize. Instead of us all going one at a time, we should send someone that we know she wont mind busting down the door." Everyone thought for a moment, before their eyes turned onto our red caped friend. He noticed everyone staring at him, causing him to give them a questioning look.

"What're you all looking at me like that for?"

**10 minutes later-**

The handle on the door moving caused me to look up at the door. They all must be stupid to think that it was unlocked. I felt alright and calm, until I heard a gunshot, the knob falling off, and a bunch of curses coming from Cid. I was shocked to see Vincent come into the bathroom, shutting the knob-less door behind him, and leaning against it to hold it closed.

"You've been in here for over 4 hours now." Vincent casually said.

"So?" I asked, standing up to sit on top of the sink counter. "It's better staying out in here than being out there with everyone to look at me and think the wrong things."

"…" He remained quiet, something I have always liked about Vincent.

"Lemme guess: They all chose you to come and convince me to get out of the bathroom?"

"In a way, yes, but they sent me here to tell you how sorry we are for making you feel so embarrassed." I looked up at him, shocked at what I had heard.

"Please forgive us!" I looked around Vincent's shoulder to see that the door had been pushed open a little ways, revealing Yuffie's face.

I smiled a little, before the entire door was pushed open to reveal almost everyone, and my smile grew. "I forgive you guys."

"YEAH! SHE FORGIVES US!" I felt my small drift away as I heard the familiar voice, and saw the familiar red-head, who I still was mad at.

"I said I forgave them! NOT YOU!" I said, pushing myself away from the bathroom and past Reno, who had this look of shock on his face.

**

* * *

**

**That same day, a few hours later-**

"Tifa, please! You have to help me!" Reno begged.

"Reno, you're the one who needs to figure out how to say sorry on your own, not with me helping you out." Tifa said. When the pout on the red-heads face did not disappear, she sighed. "Look, do something nice for her, and she might soften up a bit."

With that said, Tifa walked away, leaving the Turk to figure out his plan alone. He suddenly had flowers on his mind. A light bulb went off inside his head.

_'THAT'S IT!'_

**An hour later-**

_"Babe, please open the door…"_ Leviathan, he just never gives up!

"Reno, I don't want to talk to you right now!"

I heard nothing else from him, so I assumed he had left and given up. But when I heard the lock on the door click, and the door come open, and get shut again, I knew it was too good to be true.

"Please, just listen to me, and you don't have to say anything."

I looked at him, and I was beyond pissed at the moment.

"Listen…I'm sorry for ruining your beauty sleep this morning, and I'm sorry that I crawled into your bed and tried to get a kiss from you…and…I'm sorry that I embarrassed you like that. Here," He handed me a piece of paper. "This is for you."

I looked at him, before looking at what was on the paper. There were drawings of flowers, Dahlias and Lilies to be exact, and they were beautiful. In the corner of the paper at the top, there was some writing.

_'Flowers don't grow in the sky, so I drew you some to show you how sorry I am about this morning. Please forgive me, and know that I would never do that on purpose._

_Love, your favorite Turk in the entire world,_

_Reno.'_

_'He….he drew me flowers because he couldn't get me real ones? Oh…I'm a horrible person! How could I be so cruel!'_

I felt Reno sit down next to me as I looked at the drawing. Finally I met his eyes, my eyes a bit teary.

"You…you drew me flowers?" I asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

"Well, yea, I mean, I know how much you love them and how special they are to you, and, well…your special to me like that too." Reno gave me a genuine smile, and I laughed a bit, choking on my tears as I did so.

"Are you saying that I'm special like a flower?"

"No, but you're beautiful like flowers." Reno smiled, leaning his forehead against mine. "And you're just that special to me."

I smiled brightly as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you. I forgive you."

He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. We stayed like that, just holding each other for a few minutes, until Reno pulled back to look at my face. I smiled at him before leaning up and pressing our lips together.

Now, we're even.

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A/N: I know that you guys wanted more romance, but I did the best that I could for now, and I promise, that there will eventually be more later on! These kind of scenes take very good writing experience, and have to be written down to match the idea I have in my head to it, so just be patient and there will be more…that is, if you review! LATER TATERS!


	32. Inside the Northern Cave!

A/N: So, this is my very first update using my family's laptop. My pc has a virus, and just talking about it makes me depressed, so I shall continue to go on about this new chapter. I hope you guys like I, and won't hate me when I don't update right away! Enjoy the newest chappie!

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32. Inside the Northern Cave

All of us were looking out the window of the command deck, staring in silence at the giant crater ahead that was shrouded in fog. Memories that were not all entirely that pleasant were brought back as I looked at the crater. Everyone was quiet, except for Yuffie, who was jumping for joy.

**"YES! THANK GAWD WE'RE FINALLY HERE! HANG ON SWEET LAND! YUFFIE KISARAGI IS ON HER WAY!" **Yuffie exclaimed.

"So, how exactly are we supposed to get down there," I asked, pointing towards the inside of the crater, "from up here?"

Everyone immediately realized our dilemma, and began to converse amongst each other about it, before Cid spoke up.

"Seeing as all of yall don't think about the most important things, I came prepared. Follow me."

He led us to the landing pad, basically the garage where all the small engine things are stored. He flipped on the lights and I immediately shouted for joy when I saw what was in front of us.

"It's the Tiny Bronco!" I exclaimed, running towards he familiar little ship that we had stolen from Rocket Town, along with Cid, almost 3 years ago now. "And she's been repaired too!"

Cid grinned. "Fixed 'er up, and now she's good as new!"

Yuffie came and stood next to me. She gave the ship a once over before frowning. "Still the smallest and ugliest lookin thing I've seen, something that you really shoulda improved old man!" Of course, Yuffie would be the one to insult the ship…

Cid glowered at her, his glare scaring me. "What'd you say, brat?"

Before the two could start fighting, I interrupted. "It doesn't look like there will be enough room for us all to fit in it though."

"Then that means some of us will have to stay with the ship." Cloud said.

"So, who stays and who goes, Haley?" Tifa asked, and everyone turned their attention towards me.

I thought long and hard for a few minutes, before coming to a conclusion.

"Alright, here's the plan: Cid, you, Barrett, Cait, Red, and Rude will stay on the ship. We'll have walkie talkies to communicate with. While we're down there, you guys will be looking out for Kadaj and his gang. Me, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Reno, Elena, and Vincent will go down."

After the plan had been explained, we all equipped ourselves, and clambered into the ship, which, to my worst fears, Reno would be piloting. After strapping ourselves in, and giving the okay to take off, we left, flying inside the crater.

* * *

After we had safely landed, we got out one by one very carefully. It was very dark and it smelt really gross, but I did my best to ignore that. After we had all climbed out, I grabbed my walkie talkie.

"Okay, Cid, we're in safely. If there's any sign of Kadaj, let us know." I turned to Elena after putting the walkie talkie away. "Ok, you were the one who found the cells the last time you were here. Do you remember where you exactly found them?"

Elena nodded. "They were around the center of the cave mostly."

"Okay, do you think you can show us the way?" I asked, and Elena nodded her head, gesturing for everyone to follow her. Even though we had been in the cave for only a few minutes, I was still being reminded of the bad memories this place held.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Vincent.

"Why do you think that there are more cells here?" Vincent asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, seeing as they found the cells here the first time, and that Kadaj is still looking for his beloved mother, the one place that there would still be cells is here."

"But what if there isn't?"

"Well…then that proves that my conclusion about the cells was wrong. If it comes to that, we'll think of something else."

"Man, almost been three years since we've been here, and this place still gives me the creeps!" Yuffie informed, rubbing her arms.

We all ignored Yuffie and continued ahead for about a few more minutes, until we had finally reached the center of the cave.

"This is it." Elena said. Everyone surveyed the area quietly, while I stepped forward to look.

There were lots of rocks that had fallen when the cave had sort of collapsed the last time we had been here. I looked around for any type of thing that could hold interest.

"Everyone, start looking, and remember to stay alert."

Everyone looked around in different spots. I searched around in the middle of the cave, and when I didn't exactly find anything, I was about to give up and check somewhere else, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw something glowing. I reached out towards it, and just before I cold, a pain shot through my head.

**"AGHH!"** I grabbed my head as shouted out, getting everyone's attention.

"Haley!" Cloud shouted, running over towards me, followed by the others. Once he was at my side, he held onto my shoulders. "Haley, what is it?"

"The-AGHHH!" I shouted in pain as images came soaring through my head, different ones of different pictures **(A/N: Like in advent children when Cloud's geostigma begins to act up and he see's those weird pictures). "CELLS!" **I screamed out, pointing to my findings, and clutching my head once more as more images came through.

Cloud looked away and over to where I had pointed, and sure enough he saw them too. "Right there. Someone contain them."

I thought the pain was going away, but my head became in more pain when images of Sephiroth started showing up, causing me to fall on my knees, clutching my head still. "Ngh, n-no!"

"Hurry up and contain them, dammit!" I heard Reno shout.

The images of Sephiroth became more rapid, causing the pain to increase.

**"NO!"** I screamed out. **"AHHHHHH!"** I felt someone lift me up and carry me off, and the pain began to dissipate. Before all of the pain was gone, I heard a familiar and haunting voice.

'_You see. You can't do anything to stop me. Face it: All you are is just a useless girl.'_ Sephiroth!

"Ugh!" With one last shot of pain through my head, it went away all together this time. I opened my eyes to see Cloud looking down at me with worried eyes.

"You okay?"

I blinked a little before sitting up. "Yeah, I think so…" I rubbed my temples a bit before standing up. "The cells…did we get them?"

Cloud nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Good. Let's get back to the Tiny Bronco."

**After everyone has returned to the Shera and are heading back to Midgar- **

"Cloud, what happened down there with Haley exactly?" Tifa asked.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. He had no clue what had exactly happened with his sister, but there was only one thing that what was bothering him.

Her eyes…they had looked like cats eyes, with the slits they turned into when she was screaming. What had happened to cause that?

"Her exposure to the cells is what caused it." Tifa and Cloud looked over to see Vincent standing in the doorway of the command deck.

"What are you saying, Vincent?" Tifa asked, confused by the entire situation.

"The Jenova cells…They affected her like the stigma does to everyone else. Did you notice her eyes?" Cloud nodded his head. "They weren't blue. Instead, they were more of a sea-green color, and they looked like cat eyes. They looked like the remnants eyes."

Tifa gasped quietly, and Cloud stood there, taking all of this in slowly, before speaking up.

"So…the exposure to the Jenova cells affects her the same way it affects those with the stigma?" Vincent nodded his head yes.

"So, if Kadaj has some of those cells inside him already, and she were to get to close, would it still affect her?" Tifa asked.

"I'm not sure about that, but you have to remember that the stigma is a symptom of alien matter that overcompensates the body until it completely takes over. If she were to be exposed to too much, it would greatly affect her more than it did today." Vincent explained.

"Then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't get too exposed to it." With that said, Cloud walked out and to his room, his thoughts entirely focused on his sister.

* * *

A/N: Yes! I completed it on the laptop! Sorry it took so long, and yes, I am still weeping over my precious pc, who still needs virus software to save it! Anyways, please review! LATER TATERS!


	33. Clouds Dream

A/N: So the last chapter went pretty well, and I'm hoping this one will do good too! I hate using my laptop for writing, because the keys are to flat and I make a lot of spelling errors! But I have to stick with it for now, so that's what I am gonna do! ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy 7, just my copy of the game and this story!

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33. Cloud's Dream

Cloud fell asleep that night thinking, no, more like worrying over his younger sister. The fear of her having to go through the symptoms of the stigma was heart wrenching to him. She didn't deserve that, not one bit. He thought about how strong she had always been when it came to pain, and she had no problem facing the physical pain, but instead she suffered terribly with emotional pain. When sleep began to call him, he let himself drift off with the thoughts of his sister.

**Enter the dream:**

It was early summertime in Nibelheim. Our hero I around the age of 9 in this dream, and his older self, our Cloud in the present time, is standing there, watching his younger self.

Young Cloud is standing outside his house, fixing to go off and explore. But before he can, a small and very childish voice calls out his name.

"Cloud!" He turns around to see a young Haley at about the age 5 running towards him, a smile on her face.

"What is it?"

The little girl throws her arms around his waist. "Can I go too?"

With a loud sigh, he smiles down at his younger sibling. "Sure."

"YAY!" Haley exclaims, a broad grin on her face as the two go out and explore.

The scene changes to night one summer, and the two Strife siblings are sitting in a flower field near there house, looking at the stars with there mother. Cloud is around 6 and Haley is around 3 or 4 during the time.

"I remember this." Present time Cloud mutters to himself, watching the scene in front of him with a small smile.

"Cowed, do ya see the star?" Haley asked, climbing on top of his back, and securely wrapping her arm around his neck.

"Yeah…I see it too!"

There mother began to tell them how to follow the star whenever they felt lost or were lost, and to remember to always follow the pathway that the star would shine down upon.

The scenes ranged through out his childhood with his sister and mother back in Nibelheim, to his early teens, and to the day he left home.

"_Why do you have to leave? Do you not love us anymore?"_ The sadness in his sister's voice had made him want to cry, but he had held back his tears.

He remembered watching out the window of the train, watching her stand there at the station, waving softly, and in his head, he swore he could here her singing a song that she had made up herself.

The scenes ranged through the rest of his lifetime, Zack and such, Aerith, and all of his friends, and his sister, the most important person that he cherished in his life. Sure, he had loved Aerith, and he had cherished her in a way, but not like he does Haley. She was special, and he cherished his baby sister.

More memories and images went through his mind of his sister.

"_So, you're really gonna leave?"_

"_Hey, you feeling alright?"_

His sister…the one always taking care of him, instead of him taking care of her.

"_I've been looking around for you forever!"_

The one he hadn't even bothered to look for, when instead she went and looked for him instead.

"_I'm so glad you're ok!"_

The one who was always caring about others around her, instead of herself.

"_C'mon! We've gotta go get Aerith!"_

The one who would risk her life for her friends.

"_I don't mind helping anyone and my friends, even if it does cost me my life. Just as long as I can help protect innocent lives, I don't mind dying, as long as I was able to save someone."_

And for the first time, strange enough, all of this began to sink into Clouds mind. He had always thought that his sister only did things because she had to, and she would act stubborn in certain situations because she was a brat, but she had only done those things because she _wanted_ to help everyone and the planet. She knew the risks that she would be facing, and none of it seemed to faze her. She was just a naturally strong person, with a good and strong heart.

"_Just as long as I have Cloud and all of you by my side, I know that we can defeat Sephiroth together!"_

She had always stood by Cloud during their journey those 3 years ago. She had always supported him in his decisions and plans to help him. And yet…he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty that he had never done those things for her. Even when Aerith died, he didn't do hardly anything to comfort his sister over the loss of her best friend.

"_Actually, you did comfort her, Cloud." _The voice of the flower girl soothed him.

"How? I didn't even say anything comforting to her, let alone, take care of her when she needed me the most."

Aerith placed a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. _"Actually, you did…Just by being there with her was enough comfort to her."_

Cloud thought, and Aerith left his thoughts, which had returned back to his sister, still figuring out what Aerith's words had exactly meant. His sister had never thanked him for being there…Did she?

"_Cloud…?" _

"_Hmm?"_

"_Thank you…for being my brother this time."_

That's right. She had thanked him for not treating her like a comrade that wasn't important and just treating her like his sister.

"_I'm 21 years old! I'm not a child anymore, Cloud, so stop treating me like one!"_

"_Maybe your heart says not to trust him, but mine says to at least try."_

"_Quit acting like you can't do anything at all to help those kids, because I sure as hell know that you can at least try!"_

"_You didn't forget Fenrir # 2, did you?"_

"_Cloud…I'll always love you, no matter what!" _

**End dream:**

Cloud awoke and sat up on his bed. He thought through the dream a bit, before smiling.

"I'll always love you too, Haley."

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A/N: Aww! Sibling love! Sorry if this chapter was boring, but I couldn't he myself. Oh, and the italics that were seen the most were flashbacks of Haley talking! LATER TATERS!


	34. Oh Good Gaia, Could Things Get Any Worse

A/N: Wow…I cant believe I'm already on chapter 34…It's just-wow! I would totally be more enthusiastic, but due to my tragic problem with my pc, I cant help but be a little irritated with technology right now, so consider yourselves lucky since I'm using my time to write this up with technology crap. Anyways, firstly, I am going to continue typing chapters up on my laptop, even though I basically despise computers now, but that's beside the point! I need opinions on how man chapters I should do. Do you want one that has more than 50, or would you like to keep it less than that? TELL ME SO I CAN PLAN! Please and thank you, and enjoy the latest chapter!

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34. Oh Good Gaia, Can Things Get Any Worse!

**Back in Midgar-**

"So, because of your magic thingy runnin in your blood, if you ever come into close contact with to many Jenova cells, your head gets all crazy and such?" Cid asked, obviously not understanding al that had just been explained entirely.

"Well, I don't really get crazy; I just get this really painful experience up inside it."

I had been explaining this to everyone in the room for the past 30 minutes at least, and almost everyone, besides Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent, still had a hard time trying to comprehend everything I had just said.

"So, technically-" Reno began, and I cut him off with a loud groan.

"Look, just don't ask anymore questions, please!"

"If no one could understand what she just tried to explain, then raise your hands?" Tifa asked, and almost everyone else besides Tifa, Cloud, and Vincent, raised their hands. Cloud sighed and began to speak up.

"Technically, too much exposure to the Jenova cells will make her undergo symptoms of Geostigma."

"Oh," everyone said at the same time, finally understanding the whole thing.

"So, I never heard what we were gonna do with these cells we just found?" Reno said, poking me in the side to gain my attention.

"Well, I would like to blow them up, or maybe burn them, but if we did that, Kadaj would just keep on looking and spreading the Stigma until everyone on the Planet had it. Besides, we should just be thinking about how to keep him from finding out that we do have them instead of what we're going to do with them." I explained, laying my head down on the table. "Actually, I'm pretty sure that he's about to figure it out, or he already has."

"Wait, so what was the whole point of obtaining them if he's just gonna come after us?" Yuffie asked, clearly upset about having to fly for more than 1 day.

"If Kadaj knows that it's us that took them, then we've already lost the battle." Vincent stated.

I nodded my head. "You're right. Just by having these cells in our possession, we have indeed lost the battle." I took a swig of my drink in front of me. "But we're not gonna lose the war."

"When do you think Kadaj will act on it?" Cloud asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders in response. "He'll start planning a way to get them from us once he actually figures it out."

Reno frowned. "What do you think he'll do when he 'does' find out?"

"Probably something big and dangerous, not to mention probably stupid, but we'll worry about that when it comes to it."

All the sudden, my PHS went off. I pulled it from my pocket, and placed it to my ear. I waved goodbye as Cid, Barrett, Red, Yuffie, and Cait left to go back to their homes until we needed them again. "Hello?"

There was no reply, only the dial tone. "Weird. Must've had the wrong number."

"So, where are we gonna stash the cells?" Reno asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"I don't know…anyone have an idea?" I asked.

"I say that we should take them and keep them at HQ, maybe get the boss o hide them." Reno suggested.

I shook my head vigorously. "Nuh-uh! Last time that you guys did that, Rufus made the stupid decision to throw it towards the ground, and shoot at it! And in the end, Kadaj still ended up getting it, thanks to your stupid boss's mistake!"

"Hey, don't talk about our boss like that!" Elena objected, glaring at me.

"She has a point." Cloud said. "Even when Rufus had it, Kadaj still ended up getting it. The best place to keep the cells is here, where Kadaj and his gang would least expect it."

Everyone else agreed, and Reno, Rude, and Elena left. Vincent went to his room that he was staying in upstairs, Tifa went out for some groceries, and Cloud was upstairs dealing with some delivery crap. Marlene and Denzel were still at the neighbors' house, so I was left to go get them. I made my way next door, and knocked on the door.

The door swung open to reveal Marlene and Denzel, smiling. "Aunt Haley!" Both kids shouted, running into me with a big hug.

"Hey, guys!" I hugged them back. With quick thanks to the babysitter, Marlene and Denzel each took my hands in one of theirs, and we began to walk away.

"Auntie Haley, can we go visit the church?" Marlene asked.

"Yeah, can we?" Denzel asked too.

"Oh, I don't know guys." I shrugged my shoulders as a gesture of my unsureness. "It's a really long walk, and besides, I-"My PHS began to ring before I could continue. I pulled it out of my pocket and put it to my ear. "Hello?"

'_Where's mother?'_ What the-How the hell did he even get this number?

"I don't know what you're talking about." I simply answered, hoping that I was imagining this.

'_Don't think you can lie just like that! I'm watching you every move right now…'_

Instinctively, I pulled the kids closer to me, tensing up about what he had just said. "I assure you that I have no clue what you're talking about."

'_You seem to be very nervous and protective with those kids that you're hugging to your sides. It's a pity that you wont tell the truth, because something big is about to happen.' _

The line clicked, and I pocketed my phone once more. "Kids, we need to go home. We can go visit the church later."

We walked home silently, me holding onto the kids the entire time.

What did Kadaj mean by 'something big is about to happen'? Oh, Gaia, could things possibly get any worse!

**In the Forgotten City-**

"So, the little blonde brat has the cells with her? She isn't gonna hurt mother is she?"

"Don't cry Loz." Yazoo teased. "So, what's the plan this time?"

Kadaj smirked. "Same as last time. We look for mother, even if it means ripping up the entire city until we do!"

A/N: OHHHH! What will happen to Midgar? Find out in the next chapter! How many recognized, 'I have lost the battle, but im not gonna lose the war' quote? Tell me in a review and you shall get a free brownie! Review! LATER TATER!_**  
**_


	35. Replay Of The Summon, Bahamut SIN!

A/N: Wow…chapter 35! So, yea…don't have much to say in this note, so go on ahead and read. Also, I'm sooo sorry if the big action scene is too much like the one in advent children, but get over it! Ok, so I was thinking, wouldn't it be freakishly cool if I could turn this story into like, I dunno, voice over kinda thingy? Who thinks that would be freakishly cool? Tell me in you reviews, kay? Enjoy the story!

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35. Replay of the Summon, Bahamut SIN!

**The next day-**

I was totally tired when I went to bed. I was sleeping so good and all, when I was rudely awoken by someone the next day.

"Ngh, please go away and let me sleep!"

"You should wake up now. Sleeping past noon isn't healthy." Of course, Vincent would be the one to tell me something like that…

"Vincent, you're not gonna go away until I get up, are you?"

"No."

With a loud sigh, I sat up from my bed and looked up at him. "Look, I'm up, so get out so I can get dressed, please?"

He walked out, shutting the door behind him. I jumped out of my bed, and got dressed fairly quickly. When I got downstairs, I noticed that only Tifa was there.

"Morning!" Tifa greeted me as I came in and sat down at the table. "You want something to eat?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, that sounds good. Hey," She stopped when I spoke up again. "Where are the kids at?"

"They're out playing with some of the orphans. You can go see them after you eat."

**After breakfast-**

I drove through the calm and busy streets alone, surveying the area to see if I could find the kids. I came up empty handed, but I still continued looking. When I was about to get to the middle of the town, my PHS rang. I pulled it from my pocket and placed it to my ear.

"Hello?"

'_Yo, babe how's it goin?'_

"Fine…what's up, Reno?"

'_Kadaj and his gang were sighted somewhere in town a few hours ago. Thought I should warn you so you could keep your eyes peeled for 'em.'_ Reno informed me.

"Ok, I'll be on the look out. And Reno, please be careful." I begged him.

'_I will! See ya later!' _The line clicked and hung up and pocketed my phone.

I reached the middle of the town, and I was shocked to see all the people crowded around the newly rebuilt monument, yelling about something. I couldn't clearly see what they were yelling about, but I swore I was going to scream when I saw a few people that apparently had the stigma, standing around the monument, as if they were guarding it.

"Are you people crazy?" I heard someone shout, followed by more shouting.

When I saw who they were yelling at, I swear I was gonna scream. There, standing on the top of the monument, was Kadaj and his brothers, smirking at the people that were yelling. Quickly, I parked Fenrir #2, and walked over to the crowd. I heard Kadaj making this stupid speech on how he could help cure the Stigma if everyone helped him take over the planet. When people just told him he was a psychopath, he lost his temper. The next thing I saw was him disappearing to stand on the top of building not to far away. This was like a repeat of the last time, and I couldn't believe it. When people started to murmur in confusion, on of those ugly monster things jumped out from the ground out from the ground, and right there and then, all hell began to break loose.

I was already equipped with weapons, so I was prepared to fight. I wasn't so concerned about fighting at the moment, just about finding the kids. I caught sight of Marlene's little bow, and I darted towards it.

"MARLENE! DENZEL!" They turned around to look at me as their names were called. The look on their faces showed they were terrified. As I reached them I hugged them to me.

"Aunt Haley!"

My PHS began to ring, so I pulled it out and pressed it to my ear. "What?"

'_Told you something big was going to happen.'_ Kadaj said, before hanging up.

"Damn!" I dialed Reno's number, and he answered after the first ring.

"Reno, Kadaj knows!"

'_Don't worry, we already have the cells in a safer place. We're on our way to help.'_

"What did you do with-"He hung up before I could finish my question, so I pocketed my phone once more. I grabbed the kid's hands in mine and began to take off. Right when I did, someone ran into me, and I fell down, losing the kids in the process.

"HELP!" I sat up and saw Denzel and Marlene being cornered by the monsters. I jumped up and darted for them, grabbing them both and hiding them behind me. The ugly thing lunged and I spun around and gave it a swift kick, knocking it back a few feet.

This was not going to be a good day.

**

* * *

**

**Several minutes later, when the Turks arrive-**

"Oh great, just like the last time!" Reno exclaimed as he and Rude approached the scene unfolding in front of them. People were running around and away from the monsters that had surfaced.

"Well, well, if it isn't the annoying bald man and the ugly red-head?" Reno and Rude looked up to see Loz and Yazoo, standing on top of the monument that they had destroyed the last time.

"Oh, and what do we have here?" Reno asked, amusement in his tone.

"Well, seeing as how someone has gone and hidden mother so well again, we're just going to rip of the town until we do find her." Yazoo informed, smirking at the two Turks.

"Oh, so you think that she's in Midgar, huh?" Reno smirked, obviously not thinking about what happened the last time he did this.

"Is she?" Yazoo asked.

"Ha! Where she's really at is classified info!" Reno laughed turning to Rude, who laughed along with him.

**Back to Haley's PoV-**

I couldn't believe it! Reno had just basically told them that he knew where the cells were!

"So, you really do know where she's hidden at." Yazoo and Loz smiled.

Reno frowned. I groaned in anger and annoyance.

**"RENO, YOU IDIOT!** You and your frickin ego!"

Reno understood, turning to Rude and blaming it on him. "Man Rude, you and your damn big mouth!" Reno turned back, and pulled out his EMR, charging towards the two silver haired weirdoes', letting out a battle cry.

I turned my attention back to the kids, when all the sudden, I saw a flash of leather and silver whizz past me, and then a sword heading straight towards me and the kids. Quickly, I threw them behind me, and put my hands out in front of me, creating a shield. The sword hit the shield, and bounced off, getting stuck into the earth. I looked up and saw Kadaj smirking at me, before he jumped down and landed in front of me, grabbing his sword.

"Until I find mother, I'll just rip up all of Midgar!" Kadaj exclaimed.

"When will you just accept that your mom isn't here?" I asked, keeping Marlene and Denzel behind me.

Kadaj looked at me and smirked cruelly, before his entire right arm began to glow. He jumped up to a nearby building, his arm continuing to glow.

"Until…I'm satisfied that the planet is destroyed!"

With that said, he jumped off to the roof of another building and raised his glowing arm up, and then whipping up to the sky, shooting something at it. It wasn't until I saw the clouds begin to swirl, and lightning hit the ground, when I realized what was going on. Marlene huddled closer to me, whimpering, and I held her to me as she whimpered in fear.

Bahamut SIN flew down from the sky, and swirled around, before landing on top of the newly built monument, and squishing it. Major Dejavu if you ask me.

I was about to run out of the way with the kids, when I heard a roar from behind me and Marlene scream for me to watch out. I turned around to see one of those monsters diving straight at us and I aimed a punch for it, when I was stopped by a large foot in front of me squishing it. I looked up and did my best not to panic.

"SHIT!" I screamed, pulling both kids towards me instinctively, glaring at the summon in front of me. It began to make this big glowing ball of energy, and aimed it at us. I turned around so my back was facing it, and hugged Marlene and Denzel to my chest, doing my best to create a shield to protect us, and I let the burst of energy come at us, and knock us down.

* * *

Cloud was off doing a delivery in Kalm, and was now on his way back to Midgar, when his PHS went off. Quickly, he answered it.

"Yeah?"

'_Cloud! You need to get back here fast! Kadaj summoned Bahamut SIN and Midgar is under attack!' _Tifa said, panicking. _'Haley and the kids are out there!'_

Upon hearing that his sister and the kids were out there, he hung up without a word, and sped off towards Midgar, as fast as he could.

**Back in Midgar-**

Denzel opened his eyes, taking note that Marlene wasn't there, for Haley had transported her back to the safety of the bar. She had exhausted herself trying to send Denzel back too, but he had remained. Denzel crawled out from under Haley, noticing that she was not awake.

"Haley?" He shook her a little, and when she did not awake, he became angry and stood up. "Why do you have to take away everyone I love?" Denzel shouted, already, once again, running at the giant summon with an iron pole that he found nearby.

* * *

A/N: OOOHHH! A cliffy! Don't worry, the next chapter shall be up soon! By the way, does anyone happen to know how to get rid of an internet virus that apparently infects all the files on your computer? Yeah, see, I found our anti-virus software, and well…my computer kept saying that it was infected too, and I don't have a lot of experience with internet viruses, let alone, any computer virus! I NEED HELP! So, if anyone has any idea on how to exactly solve my problem, I would really appreciate the help! Don't forget to review! LATER TATERS!


	36. FIGHT ON!

A/N: I'm sorry if I made the last chapter seem too much like Advent Children! I swear it was not intentional! Anyways, I am getting used to using my laptop for my writing! And I am going to say that there is no hope for my pc…*SOB* it was so young! I am going to say it's officially hopeless…and I am never someone who ever gives up so easily, so this is very sad… Off to the next chapter.

Disclaimer: don't own anything related to FF7, just my copy of the game, and this story and my own characters.

* * *

36. FIGHT ON!

Ow…Everything hurts right now! Man, that's the last time I ever stand in front of a summon and get hit with such a strong attack! I let my eyes shoot open when I heard Denzel yelling. I saw him running straight towards Bahamut SIN, with only a small little pole to use. I sat up as fast as I could, much to my body's objections, and ran after him.

"Denzel, NO!" I shouted. Everything seemed to play in slow motion from there, and I found myself flying at him. Luckily I grabbed him in time, but unfortunately, the summon was roaring in our faces, and I found Denzel trying to run at it again, only being pulled back by me. I didn't have enough energy at the moment to even fight it, so in this situation, I considered myself and Denzel a goner. I raised my hand up to try and use magic, and Denzel began to run at it again, except this time, it wasn't me who stopped him.

"YAGHHHH!" Barrett shouted, shooting at the summons's face with his gun arm. After Bahamut SIN had backed off a little, Barrett turned around to face me and Denzel.

_Advent Children's Fight On! Begins to play:_

"Boy, when will you learn not to run at something so big with a tiny little thing like that? Leave this to us and take care of your aunt!" Barrett said.

"Barrett!" I exclaimed, happy that he had come in at just the right time. He turned back around to face me, giving me a quick smile, before his face turned into one of a concerned one.

"My baby girl bettah be safe now!"

I smiled before nodding, grabbing Denzel's hand and leading him away from the fight. I bent down in front of him, holding his hand tightly in mine, concentrating my magic on him. Soon, he disappeared, and was already back in the bar. I stood up and ran over to my bike, pulling out the Hope Sword, and another modified blade version, and made the Cherish sword, quickly strapping that onto my back, and pocketing some of my best materia that I only brought for emergencies, and some good guns, strapping the holsters to my waist. After I felt equipped enough, I dashed off, ready to fight, when I was stopped by someone shouting my name. I stopped and turned around, and saw Reno running towards me, and I couldn't help but smirk. I quickly opened a compartment in Fenny, and pulled out 2 of my other best guns.

"So, shall we kick this monsters ass?" I asked, smirking at his face when I handed him the two guns, before really running towards the battle field.

* * *

Barrett continuously shot at the summon, doing what appeared to be a lot of damage. But instead of actually doing a lot of damage, it just made Bahamut SIN angrier. And Barrett finally noticed it until it was a bit too late.

"Oh, shit!"

Just when the monster was about to squish him, a familiar Shuriken came flying down from the sky, hitting the summon in the face. Yuffie did several flips in the air, before landing safely on the ground on both feet, catching her shuriken as it came flying back towards her.

"Not this guy again! And someone's been using my materia again, too? OOOHHH, they are so dead!" Yuffie exclaimed, running off, shuriken in hand.

Haley stopped when she saw Cid come jumping down in front of her, his spear in hand. He grinned at her, before taking off to help fight. Soon afterwards, Red and Cait Sith appeared, running off to help as well, Red using magic to fend it off.

"This looks familiar." She turned around as Vincent spoke, making his way towards her. He looked at her for a second before withdrawing Cerberus from its holster, and walking calmly off to the scene playing ahead.

"Haley!" Haley stopped once more as she heard Tifa call out her name as she ran towards her. Tifa looked at her worriedly as she approached. "The kids. Where-"

"Don't worry. I teleported them back to the bar. They're safe." Haley said, before looking away from Tifa, and back to the battle playing ahead.

Tifa smiled, pulling on her gloves, and running off to help. Everyone was here, all except for…

"Cloud…please hurry." Haley mumbled, before taking off to finally help.

* * *

Unstrapping both guns from their holsters, I pulled them out and aimed them at the ugly summon, shooting repeatedly, and dodging the attacks that were sent at me. I jumped up in mid-air, and continued shooting, thinking I was doing just fine. Except, I didn't expect the summon to blow up a nearby building that I had just kinda helped rebuild after the last incident, and I didn't expect to get knocked down by some unknown force.

"Ow…that's gonna leave a nasty mark." I muttered as I stood up from the ground, taking note that I was out of bullets. And when I heard a rumble, that's when I looked up, taking notice that the building that Bahamut SIN had just knocked into, was crumbling, and falling straight towards me.

This was not gonna end well…

0o0o0o0o0o0o

When Cloud had finally reached the battle field, he had been riding Fenrir slowly…until he noticed a building collapsing, and the debris of heavy concrete falling at his sister, who couldn't exactly get far away enough in time. For a moment, he could've sworn he saw both Zack and Aerith as her, causing him to speed up Fenrir, and race off towards the falling debris.

He wasn't going to let another loved one of his die right in front of him.

0o0o0o0o0o

The sound of a familiar motorcycle caused Haley to turn around. The only thing she did was run towards it, as fast as she could, no matter how much it hurt. She dodged from the falling concrete as gracefully as she could manage, and reached her hand out to Clouds extended one, grabbing easily and allowing herself to be pulled on easily. Once far away enough from the building, Cloud pulled over.

"Nice timing." Haley commented hopping of Fenrir as Cloud pulled out two swords and put them together.

"Yeah…you ready to finish this together?" Cloud asked, taking a stand next to her as she withdrew her sword from her back.

"Yeah. Let's finish this guy off, once and for all!" Haley exclaimed, taking off towards the fight as fast as she could, Cloud following after her.

Haley landed gracefully next to Vincent as they watched Bahamut SIN still standing before them. Everyone was exhausted. Haley watched as Cloud began to fight, slashing and hitting, until he was on such an adrenaline rush, that Haley couldn't help but jump in to help.

She hit the summon with so much force, that it knocked it straight over, but it still got back up. It finally took off for the air, flying as high as it could into the sky, preparing another full blown attack with that giant glowing ball of energy it was creating. Both Haley and Cloud had reached their limit, and began to glow. Cloud was glowing with blue energy, while Haley had a lilac color around her. She smile at Cloud, before both jumped up into the air, taking off after the monster, their friends pulling them up and throwing them into the air, until the glow of energy grew stronger on the two.

Haley grabbed Clouds hand as they grew closer and closer to the monster, combining her strength with his. It was their limit break, as Haley liked to call it, though their really was no name for it. With both of their swords drawn, and their energy combined, they both jumped inside the glowing ball, head first, until they popped out and let go of each other's hands, Cloud slashing though Bahamut SIN, and Haley creating a massive ball of energy from Ancient magic, and hurling it towards the summon.

The entire sky exploded in bright colors, and the defeated summon fell to the ground below, dead as a door-nail.

Both Strife siblings landed gracefully, earning a massive cheering from their friends.

The celebration was cut off by a very angered shout, and Haley's PHS ringing.

"Hello?"

'_Kadaj is coming straight at you!' _Reno shouted in panic.

"Wha-"Haley was cut off from her sentence when her friends began to shout for her to get out of the way.

She turned around to see what was happening, and only ended up being hit by a burst of energy, knocking her to the ground.

"HALEY!"

* * *

A/N: Oh no! What will happen to Haley? If you wanna know, then stay tuned for the next chapters posting! LATER TATERS!


	37. The Return Of The One Winged Angel!

A/N: OMG, chapter 37! Wow, this is the longest story I think I've ever written. Plus, it has the most reviews! Ok, so go on and read the newest chapter! ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy 7, or the characters, including Reno T-T! I only own this story and my own characters.

* * *

37. The Return Of Sephiroth…again.

I hit the ground painfully hard, not even knowing what had just happened until I saw Kadaj smirking down at me cruelly. I glared him down for a good second or two before trying to get back up. Kadaj kicked me in the stomach, causing me to fall back down.

"Tell me where the cells are, and I might just stop hurting you." Kadaj negotiated, causing me to scowl at him.

"I told you, I don't know." WHAM! He hit me right in the face, and threw me down, before picking me back up by the front of my shirt.

"Unless you want me to kill you right here, then I suggest you tell me now." He said, holding the tip of his sword to my throat.

I laughed. "Go ahead and kill me. It's not like it would still help you find your mommy anyway. You kill me, and then everyone will just come after you and kill you." I said, smirking. He wouldn't kill me if he needed me for this weird plan.

He removed his sword from my throat, and I mentally whooped in triumph. But that was soon short lived when Loz and Yazoo appeared, and my comrades were thrown into battle. My PHS began to ring, and it was only then that I noticed Kadaj was gone again.

"What?"

'_Kadaj got the cells! He just got here and pulled them outta my pocket!' _Reno exclaimed, panicking in a way.

"What? Why the hell were they even in your pocket? You said that you hid them somewhere them somewhere they would never find them!" I exclaimed, angry that Reno had screwed up.

'_Well, it was the last place that they probably would've looked…until now, that is…'_

"Well, we have to get them-!"

"So, you knew all along." Kadaj whispered into my ear, grabbing me from behind and dragging me along with him. "You have no idea how much I hate liars, like yourself!" He threw me into a wall, and I was sure I heard something crack as fell to the floor.

"Looks like this time, no one's here to save you." Kadaj smiled, getting down and straddling my hips, adding onto the pain that I was already feeling in my sides. He pulled me up by the front of my shirt once more. "Now, unless you want me to do something to hurt you emotionally, I suggest that you listen to me. Your blood is needed for the reunion with mother. With the cells and your blood combined, no one can get in my way!"

He smiled at the thought, and I was scared. I couldn't move to fight back, and my body was in pain, and everyone else was busy trying to fight for themselves at the moment, and my sword was out of reach. I tried to connect my mind to someone else's and when I did, I pleaded.

'_Cloud…someone…anyone…help me…please!'_

* * *

When Cloud heard his sisters' voice calling out to him inside his head, he stopped what he was doing and turned around. He saw Kadaj hovering over her, and he could tell she was helpless at that moment.

And no one…was allowed to touch his sister like that.

Cloud darted over and kicked Kadaj off the weakened Haley, who had been suffering from the closeness of the cells. Cloud handed her the Cherish Sword, and casted cure on her. Regaining her strength, she jumped back up.

"Cloud, he has the cells!"

But by the time Haley had said something, she was on the ground, screaming in pain. Kadaj smirked as she suffered from the effects that the cells were causing to her body. Cloud growled in anger, leaping at Kadaj and kicking him square in the chest, causing him to drop the box of Jenova cells.

Haley stood back up, and called to the other comrades, who had taken out Yazoo and Loz. "Get on the airship where it's safe!"

Kadaj knocked Cloud out of his way, and ran up behind the turned away Strife sibling. He pulled his sword out and knocked her down, cutting her arm, and drowning his hand in it.

**"AHH!"** Haley cried out as her arm was cut.

But when Kadaj had expected to feel strength and such as Haley's blood drowned his hand, he felt pain. He figured that the Jenova cells would help, so he jumped into the air, box in hand.

**"N-NO!"** Haley screamed out as she saw Kadaj absorb the cells, and become consumed by a dark cloud, and disappear.

Warily, she and Cloud looked around, waiting for a surprise attack at any second. Cloud couldn't help but have an all to familiar bad feeling in his gut, this making him more wary of the surroundings.

And this bad feeling, was leading onto the worst that was about to occur.

And when no attack came, Haley began to feel more and more anxious. She looked back up at the sky to see what had happened, when a black feather fell down and into her open palm she had extended to catch it. She observed it, and she took in that it was extremely familiar.

'_Who has black feathers?'_ She asked herself mentally. She was about to ask Cloud, when out of nowhere, a gust of wind came.

**"GYAAHHHHH!"** Cloud yelled as he was kicked away from his sister by a powerful force.

Haley turned around as she heard Cloud yell. "Cloud!"

She was about to run over to him, when a big mass of covered by black feathers blocked her way. The wing opened up to reveal the man who had caused her so much pain those 7 years ago.

"Hello, Haley." Sephiroth smirked at her as her face grew with surprise and fear.

**On the airship with the others-**

Everyone's eyes widened as they saw Sephiroth appear in front of Haley. Cid cursed a bit, along with Barrett.

"Damn, when is that silver haired freak gonna quit comin back from the dead?" Barrett exclaimed.

Of all the people there, Reno was the only one that was more concerned out of all of them.

"She can't fight Sephiroth by herself like that! What are we gonna do?" Reno asked, panicked for his girlfriends' safety.

"We gotta go help!" Yuffie exclaimed.

Everyone began to agree, all except for Vincent.

"No. Cloud is there with her. Both of them have incredible strength." Vincent explained.

"But she don't! She always being a reckless girl!" Barrett exclaimed.

"I really don't get it this time! WHY! Why cant we go and help?" Yuffie asked.

"Lassie, shut yer trap!" Cait ordered, annoyed by the young ninjas excessive whining.

"I agree with Yuffie." Red spoke up. "Exactly why can we not pitch in and give them a hand?"

Tifa had been the only one who had not said anything for awhile, and finally, she stopped the bickering.

"No…Vincent's right." Once more, she agreed with the red-caped man.

"WAH!" Yuffie shouted.

**Back on the ground-**

"Sephiroth!" I exclaimed, jumping back a few feet. I noticed Cloud getting up, and his gaze settling on the once proclaimed hero, Cloud's stare becoming one of hatred.

"Sephiroth! Leave her alone! If you're wanting a fight, then fight me!" Cloud shouted, his sword readied.

Sephiroth scoffed. "You wish for your death so soon?"

"Cloud!" I shouted, getting his attention. "Cloud, this is my battle. Go to the others!"

Cloud looked shocked. "You cant do this alone! He's stronger than you alone!"

"Cloud, I'm the only the one, that can heal the Planet, and stop the stigma. I don't need help with this. I just need you to believe in me, and have faith!"

Cloud stood there for a moment, before looking at me with a small smile, nodding his head, before running off to join the others on the airship.

'_Thank you, Cloud.'_

0o0o0o0o0o

Once Cloud had gotten on the airship, everyone was still recovering from the shock of him getting on and leaving Haley to fight the battle herself.

Tifa calmed everyone before speaking. "The last time, Cloud fought the battle without us. Three years ago, we had all that strength when we fought that last battle. Last year, Cloud found that strength again. But, Haley…She never lost it. It's always been with her."

"She's the only one can stop this." Cloud said, looking out the window, watching as his sister fought. "She's stronger than she looks."

Finally, he had agreed with her on that.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter should have lots of action, so be prepared! LATER TATERS!


	38. The Final Battle?

A/N: GAH! I cant contain my excitement! This chapter turned out freakishly awesome in my opinion, so I hope that you all enjoy it! Sorry if it's a little too Advent Children like, but get over it! NOW GO AHEAD AND READ CHAPTER 38!

Disclaimer: I don't own, so get it in your heads already!

* * *

37. The Final Battle?

I watched Sephiroth as he moved around me in bored like manner, looking at me as if I were a simple deadbeat, which, I am not! He smirked at me as he came to a standstill.

_Advent Children's one winged angel begins to play-_

"So, you think that you can stop me by yourself? Heh, well, this should prove to be entertaining? Shall I kill you quickly, or make it slowly painful?" Sephiroth asked, his tone sounding amused as he unsheathed Masamune and got into a battle stance.

I frowned at him while getting into a battle stance with the Cherish Sword. "I'm afraid neither of those choices work for me."

Sephiroth scoffed. "What a shame then," He paused, lifting his hand up towards the sky, which became dark, and the clouds were swirling around ominously. "Because, I was actually looking forward to killing you slowly."

"Why are you so intent on destroying everything? What about this planet?" I shouted to him.

He smirked down at me from his perch. "That's for you to decide."

I growled in ager, and he jumped down, and I jumped towards him, meeting him in midair, our swords clashing together, and creating sparks.

* * *

Lifestream like swirls came down from the sky, except they were dark, consuming nearby buildings, and shrouding almost all of Midgar in darkness. The others on the airship watched as their friend and Sephiroth clashed their swords together, jumping and hitting. All of them watched the battle below intently, even Vincent watched with a concerned face.

Haley flipped around; avoiding every hit Sephiroth threw at her. She landed gracefully on a piece of concrete, watching around as Sephiroth disappeared from her view. She glanced around to her left, and she saw a streak of silver coming straight at her head first. She didn't have enough time to dodge the attack, and was roughly thrown into a nearby building by Sephiroth.

After some of the dust had cleared, she got back up without a problem, cherish sword in hand. She looked up in time to see Sephiroth do a flip and land on his two feet, running at her, Masamune pointed out towards her. She blocked the sword, grunting as the force of the blow through her back some. She caught herself by doing a flip, and extending her sword back in front of her to block another attack from the silver-haired swordsman. She pushed her feet off another nearby wall that she had been thrown to, and blocked a series of on coming attacks, grunting each time her sword clashed with Sephiroths. Sephiroth aimed another hit at her, and she blocked it again. He watched the determination on her face with amusement.

"Oh. You're actually stronger since our last battle those 3 years ago. Where on earth did you find this new power?" He smiled at her cruelly as her face turned into one of anger as he began to push her back a bit.

Haley growled at him. "That's none of your," She paused, pushing back against his sword, kicking him up into the air. "BUSINESS!" She watched as he went straight through the ceiling of the empty building, and jumped through the hole he had made, landing on top of the roof.

The sound of crashing alerted her to move, and that's exactly what she did, glancing back to see the building next to the one she had been standing on collapsed onto it. She turned around when she heard Sephiroth come at her, blocking his sword a few more times, before he jumped up, and Haley followed after him.

He gave her an amused look. "I think I know of something that you would like."

Haley stared at him in confusion, dodging the piece of large debris he sent flying at her, their swords meeting again in midair. He smirked at her as she tried to force him back.

"It's a shame all your guilt from before is all gone. Shall I give it back to you?" He twirled around and knocked her to the ground below.

She stood back up as quickly as she had landed, looking up at Sephiroth, who only stared at her with pure amusement as she glared him down.

"Get on your knees, and beg for forgiveness."

Haley stared in defiance, only for it to turn into one of shock as she saw the building in front of her begin to fall apart, starting from the top, and heading straight towards her. Thinking fast, and wanting to save her energy with magic for later, she undid both swords, readying them for slicing the debris that was falling at her in half.

Jumping up with both swords, she began her assault on the falling debris, getting through most of it, and meeting Sephiroth halfway, their swords clashing again. She landed on a pile of already piled up debris, and was met with the assault from above her head by Sephiroth. She immediately clasped both blades back together, and blocked the Sephiroths sword from hitting her head. Finding an opening during the attack, she kicked Sephiroth swiftly in the gut, and jumped up in midair, jumping off the falling debris, and landing on the roof of building, collapsing in exhaustion.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I was on my knees, panting heavily from all the fighting. After a few deep breaths, I stood back up, staggering a bit. When I heard the sound of a sword, I swiftly turned around and blocked Sephiroth from stabbing me in the back. He jumped up a bit in the air, and came back down to me. I rolled out of the way of Masamune, and flipped around as Sephiroth tried to hit me, and only stopped when I had reached the edge of the building, bringing my sword to block Sephiroths once more.

I moved around to his other side, and he knocked me down onto the ground. I flipped back up in time to dodge his sword, blocking it again once, and my ear was extremely close to being chopped off, had I not jumped over. I dodged it again, and our swords hit again, and Sephiroth pushed me back a few good feet into a wall.

I felt dizzy as my head hit the wall, but I managed to get up, and I felt the adrenaline rush going through me. I growled as I stood up, and charged at Sephiroth, our swords meeting. I jumped up in the air, and tried to bring my sword down on him, but it backfired. He pierced Masamune through my shoulder, causing me to scream out in pain as he held me on it in the air.

**"AHH!"** My shoulder was burning, it hurt so badly. I looked to see how deep it was, and I couldn't help but wince as I looked at it, before turning my head to glare up at the owner of the sword. He was smirking at me.

"So…You remember the pain from before?" He was seemingly amused by this. I struggled to breathe as I was stuck on the sword like a piece of meat. "Perhaps this time, you won't forget it."

I looked at him in anger. I had no idea what he was planning, until that big black wing shot out from his back.

"Huh?" I gasped. He smirked at me, and threw me off his sword, and into the air.** "AHHH!"**

He jumped up after me, and our swords clashed. I did my best to fight him off, but I missed the blocking, and he began to slash his sword through me practically everywhere I missed my chance to block him. When his sword went through my arm, I grabbed the tip of it, and he threw me down to the ground below.

**A few minutes before, on the airship-**

"Man, we gotta get out there and help her! She's getting sliced into bits!" Reno exclaimed.

"Damn, she should've never decided to do it by herself!" Barrett exclaimed, his worry shown on his face.

"Shit!" Cid exclaimed, the worry seen on his normally collected face. "If she dies…" To even think about it, let alone say anything of it was too sad to bare for him.

Cloud shook his head. "No. This is her battle, and it needs to be ended by her and her alone. She's the only one who can win it."

'_I just need you to believe in me, and have faith!'_ Haley's words echoed through Clouds head for a moment, before he finally understood what they had meant.

Now, only to wait until the right moment to help her without interfering.

**Back on the ground-**

I landed painfully hard, and I laid there for a second. Weakly, I grabbed my sword, and managed to sit up on my knees. I stared at the blood that had falling to the ground as I moved, and I could taste the copper taste of it in my mouth. I weakly held the cherish sword, using it for support as I sat up.

"Why don't you tell me what you cherish?" Sephiroth asked, amusement in his tone. "I would very much enjoy taking it away from you."

I looked up weakly, and he started to charge down at me. It was the end of the line for me. I had indeed lost the battle. It was indeed hopeless. As I watched in fear and helplessness, images of Aerith, Zack, my mom, Marlene and Denzel, Cloud, Reno, and everyone else flashed through my mind, and all of the sudden, I was surrounded by a bright light, and I was still alive.

"_Sure, it does look pretty hopeless. But if it were me, I definitely wouldn't give up. And I thought you weren't one that gave up so easily?" _I remained on the ground as Zack spoke from behind me.

I was breathing heavily as he spoke. _"Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honor as SOLDIER."_ He laughed a bit as he said the last part, and I continued taking deep breaths, smiling a bit myself. _"Well, ok, you really never were in SOLDIER, but you have what it takes to. And,"_ he hit his chest with his fist. _"It's mostly what's in here that counts."_

I gasped between breaths a bit. "Z-Zack…" I sucked in a deep breath.

"_Well?" _Zack asked. _"You want me to give you hand with him?" _

I smiled a small smile, before shaking my head. "N-no, t-that's ok." I struggled out, staggering up onto my feet, using the Cherish sword as I crutch. "I'm the only one that can do it."

He chuckled. _"That's right. You're the only one who can."_

I gasped in some air. "I-I have to d-do it…For Aerith."

I could sense the smile he was wearing, before it disappeared as his voice became serious._ "Haley…you remember what I told at our last visit?"_

I nodded my head, smiling softly. "Yeah. Never give up hope."

I was back into reality and Sephiroth was still flying down towards me. I jumped up with my sword in hand, and clashed my sword against Sephiroths, creating sparks, and hitting him back up into the air a few feet. He smirked down at me as I just basically floated in the air, glaring him down.

"Like my brother, I can't help but feel pity for you." I scowled at him, and clenched my sword in my grip. "You just don't understand at all!" I could feel my adrenaline rush come back, and my limit break readying itself. **"I CHERISH EVERYTHING**!"

0o0o0o0o0o

Cloud watched as his sister became surrounded in a lilac color that was glowing around her. Haley had a limit break that was always strangely amazing and extremely powerful for someone like her. When the glow became stronger, that's when he knew that she wasn't exactly using her limit break that she had…unless, this one was new. Then, he realized this is where they could all help her.

"Everyone put all your hope and faith in Haley!" Everyone looked at Cloud in confusion. "Have hope that she can end the battle, and faith that she can save us all! **BELIEVE IN HER!**

Everyone finally understood what he meant, and they all closed their eyes, and believed in the younger Strife child as she had instructed them.

0o0o0o0o0o

**"I CHERISH EVERYTHING!"** I screamed out, shooting up higher into the air, and I could feel my strength grow, and the glow became stronger. Sephiroth came shooting up towards me, and when he tried to slash at me, he was knocked by the shield protecting me.

"I won't let you take away people from their families like you did to me! I won't let you try and hurt innocent lives for your own crazy and selfish reasons! And lastly, I won't let you taint the Lifestream!"

I could feel my strength growing, and I clasped my hands together as if I were praying. "Because, no matter if everyone is gone, there will always be life, Sephiroth!"

The Lifestream came shooting out of the Earth, and towards Sephiroth, who only looked around shocked and confused. I could feel everyone hope and faith in me as I summoned the Lifestream out of the earth. I aimed it at Sephiroth, and he became entrapped in a glowing sphere of Lifestream energy. Finally, I aimed my hand, which began to glow at the sphere, and shot a burst of energy at the sphere, making an even bigger explosion.

After I could see what I had done, Sephiroth was still in the air, fading away.

"Stay where you belong. Dead, and in everyone's memories."

He smirked down at me. "I will never die and become just a memory."

He finally faded, and the darkness disappeared. The sun came back out, and it began to rain.

0o0o0o0o0o

**"WOOH! YEAH!** That's our girl!" Barrett exclaimed, waving a fist in the air.

"Yeah, alright!" Yuffie cheered along.

"See, she did it after all! A bit of hope and faith was all she needed!" Tifa exclaimed.

"That's our girl!" Cid exclaimed, readying to land the airship.

"Yeah! WHOO! That's what I call awesome!" Reno exclaimed.

Cloud had stepped outside the to deck, letting the rain hit his body. The rain hit the stigma on his arm, and washed it off like the first time.

His sister had saved everyone.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

I smiled as the rain fell from the sky and onto my aching body. I closed my eyes and spread my arms out, welcoming the healing rain as it fell. I felt relaxed, as if another big weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. The planet was finally-

I stopped when I felt a sharp pain shoot through my back and to the front, and at the sound of a gunshot. I cried out in pain, falling onto my knees. I turned my head around to see the other two remnants, Yazoo with his damn gun smoking a bit. They were fading away.

"You…don't…deserve to live." Yazoo said, and I could feel my anger boiling up. I grabbed my Cherish sword and ran at them, and they shot magic at me. In the end, it caused a large explosion, and the last thing I remember was my body wracking with pain, and floating into a bright and welcoming light.

0o0o00o0o

**"HALEY!" **Cloud shouted as he saw the explosion below.

"No!" Tifa shouted, everyone else beginning to panic.

**"HALEY! NOOOO!"** Reno cried out, falling onto his knees, tears forming in his eyes. Tifa bent down to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He was shaking from his sobbing, saddened that he wouldn't be able to tell her how much he loved her.

Cloud remained speechless, for what seemed like forever, until turning to Cid, who was wiping his eyes from the tears.

"Get us to the old church."

He didn't want to believe that his sister was gone…not yet…

And still….he had the doubt inside his mind that she was indeed gone.

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A/N: THE END! Ok, not really! It's not even close to the ending of this story, because I plan on going to at least more than 50 chapters! Unless, I should just make a sequel? The only reason there was so much good action was because i was watching advent children while writing most of this chapter!Tell me what you think! SO REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT TO DO ABOUT FUTURE CHAPTERS OR A SEQUEL! LATER TATERS


	39. Healed

A/N: Chapter 39! Ok, sorry if it's a little to short, but I still hope you enjoy it! Also, I plan on doing more than 50 chapters with this story! Ok, now go and read the latest chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except this story!

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39. Healed

Marlene and Denzel were staring out the window at the familiar rain when the phone began to ring. Denzel ran out of the room and to Clouds office, grabbing the phone, Marlene running up to stand close to him.

'_Go to the old church.'_ A voice instructs them through the phone. Marlene and Denzel look at each other, before smiling, and running out the door, where there were others running to the church as well, phones all around ringing. The streets were full of people running t see what had happened at the old church.

**Moments earlier with our other heroes-**

Cloud and the rest of the gang arrived at the old church, running inside to the center, where the healing waters were. As they got closer to stand around, they looked up and stared in awe. In the middle of the church, above the healing waters, strands of Lifestream energy had shot out from the earth, in the water, and had created a sphere that seemed to be holding something above the water, or someone in this case.

Reno stared at it with amazement. "Is that-?"

Cloud cut him off. "Yeah. That's Haley."

All of the people that had made their way over to the church walked inside to see just what our heroes were staring at, and they stared too, standing around the water. Marlene and Denzel made their way to the group.

"Cloud?" Cloud looked down to see Denzel standing next to him. "Is that Haley inside that thing?"

Cloud nodded his head. "Yeah…that's her in there."

Denzel looked at it with a worried face for a moment, and Cloud bent down to his level. "Don't worry Denzel. She's alright. She'll wake up soon."

Denzel nodded his head, feeling a bit better at Cloud's words. Denzel was afraid of losing Haley, because she reminded him of his own mother with her acts of kindness and the way she would help without being asked to.

"You mean that she's sleeping?" Marlene asked as her father put her up on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Just taking a quick nap."

* * *

Haley floated down and into the whiteness, laying there and just floating. Her wounds were clearly visible, and she was barely even conscious to what was going on around her. A familiar hand with silver bracelets placed itself against her forehead gently. Two other familiar presences made stood beside the floating girl. Haley's eyebrows furrowed in her sleep, giving her a confused look on her face.

"Mom?" Haley mumbled, and Aerith giggled, taking her hand away from her friends' forehead.

"_Not quite." _Aerith explained, turning to the girl's actual mother, who had taken her daughters hand.

"_Like I said before, Aerith, they're all just very fond of you!" _Zack said, grinning widely at the flower girl.

"_I'm afraid that this one is too big a handful!" _Haley's mother chided in, laughing softly.

Zack chuckled quietly. _"Looks like your place isn't here with us just yet, kid. Your friends and family still need you." _

Aerith smiled at her young friend. _"Time to wake up, Haley." _

Haley's wounds healed as she floated back down to the surface, where she landed in the water as the sphere she had been sleeping in opened up and gently floated her down and into the healing waters.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I felt like I was floating, but in what? I began to feel a bit cold, so I forced myself to let my eyes flutter open. Everything was a little blurry for a few seconds, and I blinked a few times before they adjusted on the figures standing over me. They were just little kids, keeping me afloat as I laid there in the water. Once they saw that I had woken up, the moved aside so I could stand up in the healing waters. A little girl with black hair spoke up.

_Advent Children's Cloud Smiles begins to play-_

"It's just like she said: Wait here and Haley will wake up!" She? She who?

I was about to ask the little girl who had told her this, but I was stopped when I heard someone else speak.

"Welcome home!" I turned to face the front, and I saw all of my friends, standing around the healing waters with the rest of the crowd. Marlene was the one who had greeted me. She was sitting on top of Barrett's shoulder. Barrett gave me a gentle smile, along with a curt nod. I moved my gaze to Vincent, who I could've sworn gave me a small smile, but I couldn't be sure because as soon as it was there, it was gone again. He nodded in approval. I looked over to Cid, who grinned widely at me. Red smiled and Cait gave me thumbs up. Tifa smiled at me kindly, along with Yuffie. Reno looked extremely relieved for some reason as my gaze turned to him, and he ran over and got into the water next to me, grabbing my waist and pulling me towards him, our lips crashing together in a passionate kiss. We broke apart breathlessly, and I smiled at him before turning my attention over to Cloud. We stared at each other for a long time, silently talking with our eyes. Finally, Cloud nodded his head in approval.

"Well, I'm home." I stated, smiling brightly.

"The planet has been healed. But, there are still some people with the stigma." Cloud said.

I looked around to see several kids of a very young age that still had bandages on them, or their stigma was visible already. I smiled to myself, before clasping my hands together, and pushing Reno a little bit out of the way. I called out to the Lifestream, asking for it's assistance in curing these kids. The Lifestream appeared from the water, and began to dance around the church, going around and curing everyone that was still sick. After one person had been cured, everyone cheered, and jumped into the water to dance around and play. I watched as they all played, smiling happily that their happiness had come back. Denzel jumped into the water, and waded over to me, throwing his arms around my waist. Cloud had also got in and walked over to me, smiling a small smile.

"Good job." I smiled at his words, before looking over to see everyone else jumping up and down for joy. My gaze moved over to the entrance of the church, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. I grabbed Cloud's hand and pointed towards the entrance, and I felt his grip on my hand tighten a little.

Aerith was standing in front of several children for a second, before moving up and towards the exit, where I saw my mom and Zack waiting for her. Aerith stopped and turned around to glance at me for a moment.

"_Thank you…for helping the planet. And you see? Everything's alright now." _Aerith assured me, before Zack came to stand next to her.

"_Like I said, don't ever give up hope." _Zack smiled at me, before waving, and walking out of the church with Aerith.

Our mom looked over at me and Cloud, and walked over towards us, a smile on her face. _"My precious children…I will always be with you." _She smiled gently, before turning around and walking out of the doors.

I smiled to myself. _'I know…I'm never truly alone…Not ever. I'm no longer broken, because I've been healed.'_

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A/N: Yes, way too Advent children like ending, but I just couldn't help it! I hope you enjoyed it! PLEASE REVIEW! LATER TATERS!


	40. The After Party And A Drunk Reno!

A/N: Oh my gosh! Chapter 40 is finally here! Wow, I can't believe how far that I have gotten with this story! When I first started to write it, I thought that no one would like it all, and that it would just be really suckish, but people have reviewed it and added it to their favorites, which makes me really happy! Thank you my amazing readers! You all rock! Now go on, and read chapter 40!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for this story and my own characters and plots. Also, any songs that I ever mention in the story probably do not belong to me, and instead belong to their rightful artists!

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40. The After party/ A drunk Reno

After we had left the church, we all went back to the bar to celebrate. As nice as it sounded, I was really worn out from everything I had just been through. I could barely even keep my eyes open as we walked back. Reno had to catch me at least 5 times so I wouldn't fall on my face. In all honesty, I wanted to just sleep instead of drink, but I didn't want to make everyone else feel like they had to wait for me to feel like celebrating, so I just continued on as if I didn't mind having a drink or two. Maybe having one would wake me up.

I was currently sitting at a table, with Reno sitting next to me, his arm slung across my shoulders as we waited for Tifa to bring everyone's drinks, excluding Yuffie who was having soda because she wasn't at the legal age to drink alcohol yet.

Everyone was laughing at some joke that Cid had made, except for me because I was spacing out. Tifa noticed this when she brought me and Reno our drinks.

"Haley, you ok?" Tifa asked, setting down Reno's beer down along with mine.

I smiled up at her. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired, but I'm fine." I reassured her.

She nodded, moving off to give everyone else their drinks. I stared long and hard at the glass in front of me, mentally grimacing in disgust. I hated beer, and I preferred wine instead. Actually, I wasn't one that was really for drinking, but I still did none the less. I mean, I live upstairs of a bar, of course I'm gonna drink once and awhile! I didn't bother taking a sip of mine, just pushed it a little bit a way from me. I really had no idea why I had even asked for beer instead of wine. I must be much more tired than I thought…

"Hey, babe?" I turned to look at Reno looking at me with a confused expression, not to mention worried too. "What's wrong? You haven't touched your drink since you got it."

I sighed. "I forgot that I hate beer. I like wine instead." I explained to him.

"You want me to tell Tifa to bring you a glass of wine then?"

I shook my head. "No, that's alright. I don't really want anything right now."

He shrugged his shoulders before grabbing my still full glass, and downing it himself. I mentally grimaced in disgust at the sight. Tifa came back over to our table, and this time I asked for a cup of coffee instead. I needed the caffeine right now.

I sat in silence for a moment, until I felt something furry nudge against my leg. I looked down to the floor to see Red sitting beside my chair.

"You seem like you're not enjoying yourself. Is something the matter?" Red asked, laying his head in my lap. I smiled at him, and began to pet his head. He leaned into my touch, purring a bit. I was the only one he let treat him like this. He had hated it when Yuffie would treat him like a dog, asking him to do tricks and such. But he allowed only me to pet him like this.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired, I guess." Not guess…I am tired!

"Would you like to go to sleep?" Red asked, looking up at my face as I scratched behind his ears.

I smiled at him, shaking my head. "No. I'd like to stay and visit with all of you before you all go home."

Tifa came back with my cup of coffee, which I immediately took a sip of. I began to feel more awake with each sip I took.

"What will you do now that the Planet is at peace?" Red asked me, his head still laying in my lap.

I was about to answer, when I realized something. What _am_ I going to do?

"Well…? I guess I'll just help rebuild everything that summon destroyed…again. And, well, go on missions for W.R.O. Well, I already help work at the bar, so I will continue working here. I'll probably travel around some and visit places and people." I concluded, taking another sip of my coffee.

"And, of course I'll come visit everyone all the time!"

Red grinned, and I gave him one last pat on the head, allowing him to move off and go speak to everyone else.

I smiled to myself for no reason what so ever.

**Two hours later-**

"Thanks for the drinks, Tifa!" Cid thanked Tifa as he and everyone else made their way out the door for the night. Everyone else was going to stay in the hotel overnight for a few days until they decided to go home.

"You're all welcome. Sleep well everyone!" Tifa said, and everyone else said bye, leaving, and Tifa shut the door.

The only people who were still here were myself, Tifa, Cloud, Marlene, Denzel, and of course, Reno. Currently, my head was down on the table, and I was resting my eyes for a few seconds. I was actually about to fall asleep, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I lifted my head up and opened my eyes to look at Reno. In front of him, were at least six or seven empty glasses of beer. I looked at him, and he was smiling stupidly.

"You're *Hic* pretty!" Yeah, he was totally wasted.

"Um, thank you?" I was a little worried about him at the moment, because I absolutely had no idea what he was like when he was this drunk.

Reno burst into laughter, slamming his hand on the table. He looked up at me as he laughed. "You're sooo frickin funny! Ha-ha! Do you know, how funny you are?"

I did my best to stifle my laughter. I had to admit that he was actually pretty funny when he was drunk.

"Why don't we go back to my place? I could show you *Hic* a really good time!" Reno stood up, grabbing my hand and pulling me up with him. He was so drunk, he could hardly even walk without running into something.

I stopped him and turned him around to face me. "Let's say we didn't. Listen, you're way too drunk to drive yourself home, let alone, even walk. You can stay here for the night."

I saw Cloud glaring at me from the corner of my eye. I turned to look at him. "We would be considered murderers if we let him go home like this. He could get hit by a bus, and I would never be able to live it down!"

I slung Reno's arm around my shoulders, and helped walk him up the stairs, and into my room, where I sat him on the bed.

"I'm gonna go change, and find you some clothes, ok? Stay right here." I rummaged through my drawers, grabbing an oversized t-shirt, and some sweatpants to sleep in. I ran into the bathroom, and changed quickly. I ran out and into Clouds room, and began to look through his drawers. I found an old t-shirt and some basketball shorts for Reno to sleep in. I made my way back into my room.

"Ok, they might be a little too big for you, but they should still fit. "I handed him the clothes and pulled him up and pointed him towards the bathroom. I turned around to rummage through some of my drawers to see if I could find some painkillers. He was really going to need them tomorrow when he woke up. I found a bottle and put them on the nightstand beside my bed. I turned back around to see Reno in nothing but the shorts I had brought him.

"R-Reno, what happened to the shirt I gave you?" I felt my face heating up as he turned to look at me with his sea-green eyes.

"I hate wearing a shirt to bed." He answered, pulling off his goggles and throwing them on the floor, letting the hair that they held up fall in his face. He said nothing else and just crawled in the bed, and covered up. I smiled a little before grabbing a pillow, and placing it between us. I didn't feel like having Cloud come in and try to kill Reno again. I crawled in shortly afterwards, and covered up, drifting off to sleep right away.

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A/N: Sorry if it was boring, but I didn't know what to do! Hope you guys enjoyed it! LATER TATERS!


	41. Morning chat with Reno

A/N: Ugh, this chapter is probably really lame and boring because I couldn't pick a good idea for it, so I'm sorry if it sucks! I tried really hard to make it seem good, so hopefully someone thinks it is!

Disclaimer: If I could own Reno or Cloud, then that would be the best day of my life, and probably the worst one too because I would get thrown into jail for even owning them!

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41. Morning chats with Reno

I was rudely awoken to multiple amounts of curse coming from the other side of the bed. Sleepily, I opened one eye to see Reno sitting Indian style, leaning his head against the head board, his eyes closed. He was rubbing his temples over and over, groaning.

"Man, I feel like shit…" He mumbled. Lazily, I reached my hand over to my nightstand and grabbed the bottle of painkillers I had sat out the night before. I turned back over to look at Reno, and I thrusted the bottle in his hands.

_"That's what happens when you drink more than 2 glasses of beer."_ I mumbled into my pillow.

"Strifette, could you at least let me know you feel bad for me?" Reno asked, poking my side.

"Why should I feel bad for something that you brought upon yourself?" I mumbled, shivering slightly as Reno tried to pull my blanket away.

"Point taken. Man, my head feels like I got hit with a baseball bat." Reno whined, rubbing his head again.

"Quit acting like a baby and take two pills that I thoughtfully set out for you last night." I turned over to look at him with an annoyed face.

Reno frowned at me for a second. "How come you don't have a hang over?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because I had coffee! Now take some painkillers so your head quits hurting!"

"Ow…Don't yell, babe…" Reno whimpered, holding his head in his hands again. Whoops.

I grimaced at what I had just done. I scooted over to Reno and laid my head in his lap, causing him to open his beautiful eyes and look down at me. I gave him a gentle smile, before reaching my hands up to his head, placing my fingers on each temple, and massaging them gently. He leaned into my touch, sighing contently as I massaged his aching head. He gently wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me to him. After about five minutes, I pulled my hands away. He opened his eyes as I pulled them away, and gave me a smile. I grabbed the bottle of painkillers, and poured two out into my open palm. With my other hand, I grabbed one of Reno's hands, and placed the two pills in it.

"I'll get you a glass of water." I said, moving out of his grip, much to his dismay, and walked into the bathroom, grabbing the glass that I used when I brushed my teeth, rinsing out quickly and filling it up with some water. I made my way back to my room, and handed Reno the glass, which he downed after he took two painkillers.

"Thanks, babe."

"Mhmm!" I plopped back down onto my bed, and laid my head back in his lap. "Do you have to go to work today?"

Reno shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno…All that I'll probably have to do is take a look at all the damage around the town."

"Oh, oh! Can I go too?" I wanted to see how much needed to be rebuilt after yesterday's battle.

Reno smirked at me. "Just can't stand to be away from me more than one second, huh?"

I rolled my eyes at the comment. "I just wanna see how much needs to be rebuilt…again."

He pouted that my answer had not answered his question, and I couldn't help but giggle at how cute he looked. "Man, you sure know how to hurt a guys feelings."

I smiled at him. "I'm sorry…How can I make it up to you?"

He looked up at the ceiling, thinking for a moment before he looked back down at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I know of a few ways."

I stuck my tongue out, making a face. "You have no idea how wrong that sounded just now."

He leant his head down and laid his forehead on top of mine. "Watch out for that little tongue of yours. You stick it out just like that, I may be tempted to take it."

I giggled at him, looking into his eyes. His hair that was normally held in place by his goggles was in his face. When he leant down towards my face, it tickled my nose. I smiled up at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I began to think how good he looked without his trademark goggles on his head.

"I like you without the goggles."

He looked at me funny. "Are you saying you don't like it when I wear them?"

"No, I like the goggles, but I like it when your hair is in your face like this. It would be nice if you didn't wear your goggles every once and awhile. You look cute…" I muttered the last part to myself very quietly.

He rose and eyebrow. "I'm cute, huh?" He gave me a smug smile and I could feel my face heat up. I looked away from his face, and over at the wall. "I thought I was more than cute! I thought I was hot!"

I giggled. "Quit fishing for answers, Reno! It only adds to your ego, which is big enough as it is!"

He feigned hurt, and I smiled at him before poking his nose.

"Why'd you poke my nose?"

"Because I felt like it! Now go take a shower. You really need one."

"Are you saying I smell?"

"Yes. Yes I am. Now go take a shower!"

"Fine, fine! I'm going." He got up and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I looked over at the floor, and saw his goggles laying there. I leaned over and grabbed them, placing them on my own head.

I looked in a mirror and smiled.

"I look freaking cool!"

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed! PLEASE REVIEW! LATER TATERS!


	42. Life Was Never Easy For Us

A/N: Last chapter turned out really cute! So, this chapter is hopefully just as good! So, yea…READ IT AND ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I do not own a thing, except for this story!

42. Life Was Never Easy For Us

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Reno and Haley were currently walking around the center of town where the most damage had been caused during yesterday's battle. Haley was grumbling as she counted the buildings that had excessive damage that could only be repaired if the entire building was torn down and rebuilt. After at least five minutes, she finally groaned and yelled to the sky.

**"WE JUST GOT DONE REBUILDING ALL OF THIS TOO!"**

Reno winced at the annoyed look on her face. "At least no one got hurt, yeah?"

Haley looked over at him, sighing quietly. "Yeah, you're right. That's what's really important."

Reno patted her shoulder as they continued to walk. "So, how many buildings?"

"Over 10 at least. And the Meteor monument that Shinra built. The costs for rebuilding everything that got destroyed are way beyond the amount of Gil that Midgar has. If we wanted to get the money for it, taxes would probably have to go up to more than it already is. Besides, the population of Midgar can barely even pay for anything as it is. This could take awhile."

Haley and Reno continued their walk around the town. They were mostly walking around in the rubble out of curiosity. Haley sat down on a piece of large concrete, Reno sitting next to her.

"Reno, you never told me about meteor exactly. Where did you go away to for two years?"

Reno sighed loudly, leaning back on his arms. "Well, I didn't exactly die. But, well, we were gone even before meteor hit. Right after the Shinra building exploded. We were digging through all the rubble looking for boss, and when we found him, we left and hid out."

"Hn, figures you would all hide out after everything that happened. Especially Rufus. People probably would've stoned him if he had even showed his face." Haley commented.

Reno shrugged his shoulders. "Well, probably woulda stoned me and the others too. I mean, the world was nearly obliterated, and we were the obliterators!" Reno exclaimed.

Haley looked at him with a look of sympathy. "But, the most of that destruction was caused by meteor too. You didn't nearly obliterate the entire planet."

"I dropped the plate on sector 7. I killed everyone down there when I did that. I think, that's my biggest sin…killing all those innocent people that didn't deserve to die." Reno looked up at the sky thoughtfully, sadness in his eyes.

"Why didn't you just quit your job?" Haley asked.

Reno gave an emotionless laugh. "Once a Turk, always a Turk. Unless you die on the field, or do something that makes you useless, then you quit."

Haley looked at him sadly. _'He has a tough life.'_

"What about you?" He looked at her with a small smile. "What did you do for work before meteor?"

Haley laughed a little. "I traveled around for four years, trying to get to Midgar so I could find Cloud. I didn't have a lot of money to get me here so fast, so I stayed in different towns for more than one month each. I worked for bakery in Gongaga for about five months, and then I moved on and worked out as an assistant nurse in Correl. I worked as a greeter at the Golden Saucer. I worked in a materia shop in Mideel for about 2 years, and then I just saved up my money, and when I had enough, I bought a train to Midgar."

"But, what about after you were in Midgar?"

"I was broke. I had to steal food because I was so broke. And, well, eventually, I met Aerith, and she and her mom took me in. I liked it there. I felt like I had a family again, and…I felt happy. I would help Aerith sell her flowers, and the money that I earned for selling her flowers, I got to keep for myself. I told Aerith I was gonna save it up so I could buy my own place, but Elmyra demanded that I stay with them…So, I did."

"You really had it rough then, huh?"

Haley nodded her head. "Well, that's what happens when you lose everything you ever had at 15. When you're that young, you can't find a good enough job that pays well enough. You just…you have to learn, not to give up. If you wanna survive, you cant give up…not ever."

"I wish I had been like that." Reno mumbled to himself. "I just got into trouble most of the time instead of trying to earn the money to live. I was a pickpocket. I was in a gang, and I was a trouble maker. I did anything I could for the money that wasn't so much labor. That's what got me landed here as a Turk."

Haley held his hand in comfort as they sat there. "It just goes to prove that life isn't as easy as it seems most of the time."

"You got that right!" Reno agreed.

All the sudden, Haley heard whimpering. She looked over at the direction it seemed to have came from. She thought it was just her imagination, until she heard it again. This time, she stood up and walked over to the pile of rubble it came from, Reno watching her in confusion.

0o0o0o0o0o0

What the heck was making that noise? It sounded just like someone crying. I bent down in front of the pile of rubble, moving back a bit when I heard the noise again, coming from underneath the small pile. Quickly, I pushed away the some of the rubble, and began to dig around it, until I reached the bottom. I looked down when I could hear the noise clearly, and almost cried at what I saw.

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A/N: So, the continuation of this chapter will be in the next one! Read if you want to find out what Haley found! LATER TATERS!


	43. Can We Keep Him!

A/N: Please excuse the crappiness that is this chapter. I am beginning to run out of ideas again, which would explain why the latest chapters are somewhat crappy.

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43. Can we keep him?

Underneath the rubble, laid a small, cute, little puppy. When I had uncovered him, he looked up at me with his little chocolate brown eyes, and gave a small 'yip!'

"Ohmygawd! HOW CUTE!" I squealed, carefully lifting the puppy out of the rubble, and into my lap.

"What's so cute?" Reno asked. I heard him walk over to me, and stop when he got right behind me, staring at what I had found.

"This little guy right here!" The little pup was brown and white, the colors mixed together in a way. I noticed his front left leg looked in pretty bad shape. "Looks like he's got a broken leg too…" I barely let a finger graze the said leg, and the little guy whimpered as I did.

"Poor kid..." Reno said, looking down at the little puppy in my arms sadly.

"C'mon. We're taking him back to the bar." I said, standing up with the pup in my arms.

"Uh, babe, you sure that's such a good idea?" Reno asked me, hurriedly coming up to walk beside me. "There's no way Cloud is gonna say you can keep him."

"Who said anything about asking Cloud?" I threw him a smirk.

He grinned mischievously. "I'm beginning to rub off on 'ya!"

"You have no idea…"

**Once back at the bar-**

"Tifa, I brought an orphan home!"

Tifa came running downstairs to see the said orphan that Haley was talking about. She looked around and saw no one but Haley and Reno.

"Um, where is he or she at?" Tifa asked, confused.

Haley giggled. "Right here!" Haley opened up her arms to reveal the little puppy.

Tifa stared at the little guy for a second, before moving closer to get a better look. "Oh my gosh…he's so cute!" Tifa scratched behind the puppy's ears. "Where did you find him?"

"Underneath a pile of rubble. He has a broken leg, plus he's an orphan, so I thought I'd bring him home and take care of him!" Haley explained.

"He's a cutie alright. He can stay as long as he likes." Tifa said, giving approval to the puppy living here in the bar.

"Thanks, Tifa! C'mon Reno! Time to play veterinarian!" Haley said, running upstairs, Reno following behind.

Once they had made it upstairs, Haley pulled out a first aid kit. She pulled out some gauze, and two tongue depressors. Aligning both depressors on each side of the puppy's broken leg; she quickly taped them in place, and finished it with wrapping the gauze around the injury.

"There! Now, we just wait a couple of weeks to check on it, and the cast off!" Haley picked up everything and put it back in its place. When she turned back around, Reno had the little puppy in his lap.

Haley smiled as she watched Reno gently pet the little puppy, before moving over to sit next to him on her bed. "I think he likes you."

Reno chuckled quietly. "What're you gonna call him?"

Haley put a finger to her chin thoughtfully, thinking of names for the puppy. She smiled when she figured out one. "Taffy!"

Reno gave her an odd look that seemed to ask 'Are you sane?' "You want some candy or something?"

Haley giggled. "No, silly! I'm gonna call him Taffy!"

Reno looked at her confusedly. "Taffy? Why Taffy?"

"He looks like this stuffed toy dog I used have. I named it Taffy, so I'm gonna call him Taffy!"

Reno laughed at how she worded it, kissing her nose. "Ok, ok. Taffy it is then!"

Taffy yipped in response, causing both people to laugh. Footsteps came near Haley's door, causing her to look up. Denzel was standing in the doorway of her room, looking at her shyly.

"Hey, Denz!" Haley greeted, waving him to her room.

He looked up when he saw Taffy. "Is that a puppy?"

"Yeah. I found him. He has broken leg, so I brought him back here to take care of him." Haley explained as Denzel sat on her other side, looking down at the little puppy in her lap.

"What's his name?"

"Taffy."

Denzel reached down and gently patted Taffy's head. He grinned when the little puppy licked his hand in response.

"I thought Cloud said we couldn't have any pets?" Denzel said, reminding Haley that it was true.

"That's right…well, I talk to him about it later. Where's Marlene at?"

"She's with her dad."

"Oh. Denzel, would you like to watch him for us, while we go to the store and buy some stuff for him?"

"Ok." Haley smiled, picking up the little puppy, and setting him in Denzel's arms.

"Be sure to watch out for his leg that's wrapped up, ok?"

"Ok. I'll take good care of him!"

Haley chuckled. "I know you will! C'mon Turkey!"

"Do I have to go with you?" Reno whined, standing up.

"Yes, now hurry up!" Haley shouted, grabbing Reno's hand, and dragging him with her.

**After buying all of what was needed for the dog-**

"Babe, why are you making me carry all of the stuff?" Reno whined, trying to balance three bags in his hands all at once.

"Because my arms hurt from holding all the stuff while waiting in the line!" Haley said. "If you had just ran to the basket, you could've beaten the old lady to it, and we wouldn't have had to carry all that crap around in the store!"

"It's not my fault that I'm still suffering from a hang over!" Reno defended.

"You drank 8 glasses of beer, Reno. Of course it's your fault." Haley looked back at him, and he had a pitiful look on his face. "Fine. Give me one of the bags."

He happily obliged, quickly giving her a kiss. "Mmm…Strawberry…"

"Quit daydreaming so we can get back."

"But I wasn't done kissing you yet!"

"You can finish what you started later!"

0o0oo0oo0o0o0

I walked inside the bar, Reno close behind me, and I literally almost dropped the bag I had been carrying when I saw the scene in front of me.

Cloud was sitting at a table, Taffy in his lap, getting his scratched behind his ears. Cloud smiled down at Taffy as he leaned into his touch. I smiled myself.

"And you said you didn't like dogs."

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A/N: So, was it bad like I think it was? REVIEW AND TELL ME! LATER TATERS!


	44. Bored!

A/N: This chapter didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so I apologize if it is awful! I still hope you guys enjoy it enough to review! I am beginning to lose my touch for this story!

Disclaimer: I own this story only, and my own characters. The rest belong to Square Enix!

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44. Bored!

It's been a few days since I brought home Taffy. He's adjusted really well to living here at the bar, and everyone likes him a lot, including Cloud. He sleeps in my room with me in his little bed that I bought for him. He hobbles around on all fours, including his casted leg. He follows me everywhere, along with Reno when he comes over. Speaking of Reno, I just remembered he was mad at me for making him carry everything we bought the other day. Now, what was it I told him I would do to make it up to him...Eh, I'll remember later.

I was currently sitting on my bed upstairs, petting Taffy. I had determined his age, and figured he was about 1 month old, due to his amount of teeth he had at the moment. How I know this you ask? Well, originally, I had wanted to grow up to be a veterinarian, but things such as meteor got in the way, so yeah.

I was bored without Reno here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still don't always enjoy him being around 24/7, but I get to missing him eventually! Hey, don't judge me and say I'm an awful girlfriend for not always enjoying his company! I need my space once and awhile, y'know? But back to the topic; stupid Rufus called him back into work so Reno could guard him, which I don't see why Reno has to exactly do that. I thought that he was a Turk, not a friggin body guard! Then again, he does work for Rufus, so technically I can understand that…Ah, screw it, I'm just confusing myself now! But like I had been saying before, I missed my favorite red-head Turk right now, and I wanted him to get over here so I could be entertained by him! ….EWWW! I know what you guys were thinking, and NO, not entertained like that! Gaia, what kind of people are you?

"Taffy, what should we do?" I asked the little puppy in my lap.

He didn't respond, and I looked down to see that he had fallen asleep. I smiled down at the sight before scooping him up into my arms, and walking over to his little bed on the floor, gently laying him down in it without disturbing his sleep. I walked out and into the living room. I figured some TV would do me some good, so I plopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV and began to flip through the channels.

**After five minutes of flipping through the channels-**

**"GAIA, IS THERE NOTHING ENTERTAINING TO DO?"** I shouted in frustration, flipping the TV off angrily, and sinking back into the couch.

"Well, it's a good thing I just got here then!"

I turned to the top of the stairs, and saw Reno walking over to the couch, smirking at me. "You just can't stand staying away from me for more than a second, can you?"

I ignored the question and jumped off the couch, running towards him. "RENO!" I threw myself onto him, almost knocking us both over and onto the floor. "Thank Leviathan you're here! I was so bored!"

He laughed, patting me on the head gently. "Aw, you missed me, didn't you?"

"Only a little…" I mumbled into his chest.

"Well, I know of a few ways to make you not bored…" I looked up at him, and he had a mischievous look in his eyes. I knew he was thinking of something completely dirty, and that idea didn't quite appeal so well to me.

But, I couldn't resist asking.

"Oh, really?" I smirked mentally. "Like what?" I asked, feigning innocence in my voice.

He smiled down at me, and began to back us into my bedroom, closing the door, and eventually turning me back around, pressing me against the door.

"You promised me that we would continue what we started earlier the other day." He leaned in and pressed his forehead against mine. His warm breath was nice against my face.

"Did I?"

"Yeah…and I know you never break promises, right?"

Our noses were touching as he inched in closer to my face. "Right."

He smiled seductively as he placed his hands on my waist and held me. He pressed our lips together, and he pulled back as soon as he did. He licked his lips.

"Mmm…you taste like strawberry." He complimented, licking my bottom lip. "I like it."

He nipped down on my bottom lip, and I couldn't help but gasp in pleasure at the action. The gasp allowed him to slip his tongue in my mouth, and I felt my knees grow weak. I wrapped my arms around his neck so I wouldn't collapse on the ground. Just as he was about to move his lips to my neck, a little yip stopped us and caused us to look down next to us.

In all his cuteness, Taffy sat there, wagging his tail happily. Reno groaned, and I giggled.

"Way to kill the moment pup."

I smiled at Reno, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "At least you got what you wanted."

He smirked at me before quickly pulling my back against his chest, and quickly pressing his lips to my neck. He mumbled, "**Now**, I got what I wanted."

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A/N: Ugh, sorry for the shortness, but I was running out of ideas on what else to have in this chapter. But there was some fluff, so yay! I'm not sure how good the next chapter should go though, so someone think of what I should write about in the next one! Opinions, people! Review please! LATER TATERS!


	45. Karaoke Night!

A/N: Good to know that you guys liked the last chapter! Ok, so this chapter should be entertaining and probably funny, so I hope you guys enjoy it! Also, i do not own the song i have used in this chapter!

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45. Karaoke Night

"Karaoke night?"

"Yeah. I just got this machine yesterday, and figured we could let people come up and sing to their hearts content. If they do a really good job according to the other customers, they get a free drink of their choice."

I stared at Tifa for a moment, letting all of this sink in. Karaoke night was an idea that Tifa had been talking about for awhile. I never really thought she would actually go through with it, but hey, it's Tifa. She does a lot of things you don't expect.

"Um, I don't want to sound horribly cruel and all, but what if a person that goes up there, well, doesn't exactly…What if they suck?" I had not wanted to word it that way, but I just couldn't find a way to explain what I was saying so simply.

"Well…." She stopped, and got a worried look on her face. "Well, I'm not sure. But I still want to have it tonight!"

I sighed loudly. "Tifa, I thought my piano and I were good enough entertainment for our customers...Is everyone tired of us?"

"No, no! It's just, I'd like to try this for a change. Plus, you'd still get to play any night you want, except for Tuesdays and Fridays. And you'd only have to play during the day, instead of evenings!"

I sighed in defeat, giving Tifa a small smile. "Ok, I guess there isn't a problem with doing this." She grinned happily at my words. "So, when do we start this?"

"Tonight!" She walked out of the room, and downstairs to the bar.

Tonight. Well, what a nice Friday night to pick it…WAIT! TONIGHT? On a Friday? Fridays are our busiest nights! The damn customers will never wanna leave when they lay their eyes on the karaoke machine!

"Uh, Tifa, I think we should talk about if tonight is a smart time to do this!" I ran down the stairs and saw Tifa already done setting up the machine. Oh great…too late to stop her now.

"You wanna be the first one to test it out?" Tifa asked me, moving to stand behind the bar.

I looked down and noticed Taffy standing next to me. "Nah, maybe later. I'm gonna go and take Taffy outside for a little while." I scooped up the said dog in my arms, and walked out the door, grabbing the leash along the way.

Once outside, I clipped the leash on to Taffy's collar, and sat him down on the ground, allowing him to walk around. I had removed his little cast about a week ago, and his leg had healed perfectly fine. Now, he jumps around and runs happily as if he never had a problem with it. Reno and I started taking him to the park, and he would run around with us. It was pretty funny, because he would chase Reno around mostly. Reno would fall down too, so I would always be off sitting on a bench and laughing my butt off.

Reno…I've only seen him once this week, Tuesday to be exact. I had no doubt that I would see him tonight at the bar, being as he always comes in on Fridays.

After a few more minutes of walking, I headed back to the bar to get ready for tonight.

**Down at the Turks H.Q.- **

Reno sat at his desk, his feet kicked up on top of it and the paper work occupying it. He never did his paper work on time, nor did he ever even do any of it half of the time. That's probably why he was always getting stuck working late a lot. Reno was sick of office work. He wanted to go on a mission, but there hadn't been any in awhile, so he was stuck here almost all day, doing nothing, with Elena nagging at him to stop being lazy, and Tseng telling him to get to work. As usual, Rude said nothing, but even he had to agree that Reno was being lazy more than usual.

And why was Reno being more lazy than usual? Well, Reno, being his very attractive and smooth talking self, was a man who would always relieve his stress by one thing: Sex. Reno was a womanizer, and half of the secretaries in the building had found their ways into the red-headed Turk's bed at least once. Reno was always having a one night stand. And Reno had gone many months without sex. Why? Well, one particular girl was why. Her name is Haley Strife, his girlfriend. When Elena had asked if he'd slept with Haley yet and gave her a one night stand, she almost fainted when he had said no to both. Actually, no one else could believe that he had not yet done the mentioned things, because to them, it was simply not the way Reno was. He had never had a committed relationship that had lasted for more than week, and he had always slept with a woman whether he was having a relationship with one or not. Reno was treating his relationship with Haley very carefully, because he liked her. Actually, he was pretty sure it was more than like, but he was still not all sure. She was someone who could understand him more than he could understand himself half the time.

Unlike anyone else, she had been able to forgive him for all the wrong that he had done, and that was something about her that intrigued him. She was able to forgive someone easily, even if they had done so much wrong. Her kindness was always shown to everyone.

He looked at the clock on the wall, and got up. It was time for him to leave and head over to the bar.

* * *

"Tifa, I need two beers, and a glass of wine." I said, placing the tray on the bar, allowing her to set the mentioned drinks on it.

I walked back over to the table, and placed the following drinks, and getting the amount of gil they had cost, going back over to Tifa. I was already exhausted, and it was only 6:30. About ten people had already slapped my ass, and tried to pull me into their laps, earning a swift slap on the face for even trying to grope me like that. The karaoke machine was extremely popular with tonight's crowd, and about 12 people had already gone up there. I sat down on the bar stool tiredly, laying my head on my arms. I almost fell out of my seat when I felt someone's lips against my neck.

"Relax, it's only me." Reno mumbled into my ear, hugging me to him from behind. "Why are you so jumpy tonight?"

"Because, people have been groping my ass pulling me into their laps." I felt him tense up. "And they all left with a black eye!"

"If it's that bad, ask Tifa is you can take off." He sat down next to me.

"And have her do everything? It's a Friday night, and it's our busiest night of the week. Plus, Tifa bought a new karaoke machine, and it's been used non-stop!"

"HEY! GET THAT STRIFE GIRL UP THERE TO SING!" Someone shouted from the audience.

"Yeah, we wanna here her sing!"

"Great, now we're gonna have a riot." I mumbled.

"Haley, could you maybe come up her and sing us a song?" Tifa asked, mic in her hand.

I sighed, standing up and walking over to the stage, taking the mic from Tifa's hands. I scrolled down the track list for a song until I found one that I liked by Shania Twain, and pressed play.

_Any Man Of Mine, by Shania Twain begins to play-_

I began to clap along, and the audience began to join in.

"WOOH!" I exclaimed. "This is what a woman wants..."

"Any man of mine better be proud of me  
Even when I'm ugly he still better love me  
And I can be late for a date that's fine  
But he better be on time  
Any man of mine'll say it fits just right  
When last year's dress is just a little too tight  
And anything I do or say better be okay  
When I have a bad hair day  
And if I change my mind  
A million times  
I wanna hear him say  
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah I like that way!"

I grabbed the mic off the stand, and jumped off the stage and began to walk around while I sang.

Chorus:  
Any man of mine better walk the line  
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time  
I need a man who knows, how the story goes  
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'  
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind  
Any man of mine…"

"WHOO!" I exclaimed again, moving to stand next to the bar where Reno was seated. He looked at me with an amused face as I sang this part of the song to him.

"Well any man of mine better disagree  
When I say another woman's lookin' better than me  
And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black  
He better say, mmm, I like it like that yeah!  
And if I change my mind  
A million times  
I wanna hear him say  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I like it that way

Any man of mine better walk the line  
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time  
I need a man who knows, how the story goes  
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'  
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind  
Any man of mine! WHOO!"

I jumped up onto an empty table, and everyone began to cheer, and clap their hands with the beat of the song.

"Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way!

Any man of mine better walk the line  
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time  
I need a man who knows, how the story goes  
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'  
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind!  
Any man of mine! WHOO!"

I jumped back to the floor, and began to do the dance that the next chorus talked about.

"You gotta shimmy shake  
Make the earth quake  
Kick, turn, stomp, stomp, then you jump  
Heel to toe, Do Si Do  
'Til your feet And your backache  
Keep it movin' `till you just can't take anymore  
Come on everybody on the floor!  
A-one two, a three four  
Hup two, hup !  
If you wanna be a man of mine, that's right  
This is what a woman wants..."

The song ended and everyone applauded and cheered, asking for an encore, which I denied. I was exhausted, and my throat was sore from singing. I headed upstairs to my bed, where I fell face forward on. All I wanted was some sleep.

And I got exactly that…well, for an hour at least, until I heard shouting downstairs, rudely awaking me. I groaned in protest of standing up and walking downstairs to see what all the racket was about. Two guys were having a shot contest, and I grumbled at the noise they were all making.

"Tifa, could you ask them to keep it down?" I begged, and she looked at me sympathetically.

"I've asked them already, but they won't listen."

"I can't sleep with all this racket!" I looked over to see Reno was still here, so I ran over to him and threw myself at him, almost knocking him out of his chair.

"WAH! Babe, what's wrong?"

"Can you take me home with you so I can get some sleep! IT'S TOO LOUD HERE!" I whined.

He smiled, before grabbing my hand and dragging me out with him, and walking us to his house.

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A/N: Next chapter should be up soon! LATER TATERS!


	46. Staying Over At Reno's Place

A/N: Yay! I'm glad you lovely reviewers enjoyed the last chapter! Oww…I went to the dentist today, and they cleaned my teeth. My gums hurt really bad T-T! So, I need to know: Should there be smut involved in a future chapter between our lovely Haley and amazing Reno? Tell me what you think in your next review! Enjoy chapter 46!

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46. Staying over at Reno's place

Reno opened the door to his apartment, letting it swing open. "Sorry if it's a little messy. I haven't had the time to clean the place for awhile."

I found the light switch and flipped on the lights. My eyes almost fell out of their sockets when I saw what mess he was talking about. "A _little_ messy you say?"

Heh, it was not a little messy! It was what I call a crap hole! There were dirty dishes all over the kitchen counter, magazines and shoes all over the living room. I couldn't even make out the couch it was so covered in junk. There were old pizza boxes with at least a slice or two of old pizza Gaia knows how old, on the coffee table. There were at least 20 uniformed shirts that Reno wore everyday all over the living room. And I am NOT going anywhere near the bathroom if it's like this in there too! I was only more concerned about the bedroom and bathroom.

Reno scratched the back of his head nervously. "Heh, ok, maybe _really _messy."

I used a pair of tweezers I had on me to lift a dirty sock off of the coffee table. "Exactly when was the last time you even saw the floor?"

"Umm…6 months ago…"

**"GOOD GAIA!"** I exclaimed, shocked that one could go so long living like this. "I'm surprised none of the neighbors have complained!"

"Well, there was the old lady a few doors down…" Reno began. I cut him off by grabbing his hand.

"Well, might as well see the rest of the house." He nodded, and led me down the halls, stopping in front of what I presumed to be the bedroom door. He pushed it open and flicked on the light switch on the wall.

And surprisingly…it was the cleanest room I had seen so far! Actually, it was spotless! It was not trashy like the other parts of the apartment I had seen, and I was thankful for it being so nice and clean. "Wow…This is nice!" I complimented, walking over to the big comfy looking bed.

"And why is this the cleanest room?" I asked smiling at him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "One night stands don't really care for the rest of the place, except for the bed." I could tell that he was embarrassed having to tell this to his girlfriend, but I didn't frown or get mad at him.

"Well, at least I can sleep somewhere nice and clean. What about the bathroom? Is that clean too?"

He laughed a little at the tone I had in my voice. "Yeah, it's just as clean as the bedroom."

He was right, because it was just as spotless as the bedroom. Well, I was just thankful I could use it!

"Reno, tomorrow, we are going to clean this house! But tonight, we are going to start by washing your giant tower of dirty dishes, and eating afterwards."

Reno groaned. "Babe, do we have to do this tonight?"

"Well, now we'll just do everything! It's only 7:30! We can do it fast!" Reno put on his sad and pouty face. I sighed in annoyance. "Reno, please! I don't think I can even stand this!"

"Look, we can do everything tomorrow, I promise! I'll order us some Wutaian and we can watch TV in my room while we eat it, ok?" I frowned at him, and he moved to stand in front of me. "Babe, please? I've had a really tough day at work, and I really feel like relaxing tonight…" I didn't break my frown. He sighed, wrapping his arms around me and leaning his forehead against mine. "Pretty please."

"Fine. But if I ever decide I wanna live here, you better always pick up after yourself!"

He smirked. "Oh? So, you're already planning on coming to live here, huh?"

"Just order the food, will you! I'm frickin hungry!'

0o0o0o0

Haley sat on Reno's bed, her legs crossed, and a box of Wutai noodles in her hand, along with a fork. Reno was down on the floor, going through his DVD collection, throwing out random movie names that they could watch.

"Lets see; we've got Scream, Daybreakers, Jeepers Creepers 1 and 2, all three Jurassic Park movies, and umm…"

"OOH! Lets watch the Lost World!" I suggested, eating another bite of my noodles.

"Lost World it is then!" His back was turned to me, and I looked over at the sushi he had ordered for himself. Taking a quick glance at him, I reached my fork out to swipe myself a piece. "Don't touch my sushi."

I pulled my fork back and pouted, taking another bit of my noodles as he came back to sit next to me. "You know, your pretty mean if you don't even wanna share your food with your girlfriend."

"Well, good little girlfriends always ask before taking."

I said nothing. In all honesty, I didn't really feel like watching a movie. I wanted to do something exciting. I wanted to clean this damn apartment! And I mostly wanted to sleep. I ate one last bite, and handed my leftovers to Reno. "You can have the rest."

He looked at me strangely before shrugging his shoulders and eating what I had left, along with his sushi. He didn't even bother to save me a piece of sushi, but I really didn't care anymore. I laid down on my stomach, feet against the headboard, my head laying on my arms. I had no idea why I was so tired, but I didn't care. My muscles ached from running around the bar, and my fist hurt from giving so many ass gropers a black eye. My back hurt from standing up for such a long time. I let out a groan of pain and exhaustion.

I felt Reno rest a hand on my back. "Hey, you feeling ok?"

I whimpered. "I just wanna go to sleep."

I felt him pull me up gently, and pull the covers down. He picked me up and laid me down, crawling in after me. "Just close your eyes and relax baby." He cooed, holding me against his chest, rubbing soothing circles on my back that had been craving so much attention. I snuggled closer to his chest, sighing in content.

"Reno?" I mumbled into his chest as I felt myself dozing a little.

"Hmm?"

I breathed in his scent one last time before I fell asleep peacefully.

"Your…pants…better…be…on…when…I…wake…up…"

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A/N: So, was it good? Review and tell me what your opinion is about the Haley and Reno smut chapter in the future! LATER TATERS!


	47. Clean Up!

A/N: So, last chapter turned out interesting…yay! I'm almost to 50 chapters! So, yeah…In this chapter, it should hopefully be a little humorous, and if not, I'm sorry! Hope you guys enjoy!

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47. Clean Up!

Haley poked Reno's arm, earning a groan from the red-head as she did so. Today was the day she and Reno would clean his apartment, and Reno was not looking entirely all too forward to it. He rolled over onto his side, hoping that Haley would quit poking him.

"Reno, get up!" Haley began to pull on his arm, but she could not succeed in dragging him onto the floor. He groaned some more.

"Babe, it's too early!" Reno whined.

"Reno, you promised!" Haley huffed, putting on her best pout. He peeped one eye open to see her face. She stuck her lip out. "Please."

He sighed. "Ok, I'm up! I'm up!"

"Good! Let's go!"

**10 minutes later, in the living room-**

"Can we take a break now?"

"Reno, we just started! How can you already be tired?" I was shocked at how lazy he was acting. I was 95% sure that he had probably never cleaned a day in his life.

"I don't like cleaning! Why do you think I haven't cleaned in 6 months?" Hmm…he did have a bit of a point. But he wasn't going to get out of it that easily!

"Look, how about you pick all the dirty clothes, and I'll pick up papers, ok?" He nodded his head, and we began to clean.

We finished that in about 20 minutes, and we then moved to the kitchen. Just looking at the sink was repulsing! There were at least 100 dishes that had not been cleaned in Gaia knows how long! And being as Reno was the only one who ate off of them, I decided that he should do something with his hands.

"Reno, you get to wash all of these, while I watch." I smiled a smug smile at how his mouth was gaping open.

**"WHAT!"**

"You're the only one who lives here at the moment, and you're the only one who uses them." I pointed out.

"But you're here!"

"True, but I don't live here. And, I didn't use any of your dishes, because they're all in the sink. Look," I began when I saw the annoyed look on his face. "I promise that I'll give you a reward if you do all these dishes, by yourself. And you can pick what you want." He perked up a bit at this. "Deal?"

He nodded his head. "Deal."

I moved aside and to the table, where I could watch him fill the sink up with hot water and dish soap, and pile in each dish, quickly scrubbing and washing, rinsing and drying. This went on for about 45 minutes, until I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around him, encouraging him that he could finish right then and there….And he did. With a big sigh of exhaustion, he leant backwards, almost knocking us both down and squishing me.

"Finally…done!"

I giggled a bit, placing a small kiss on his lips. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? And now, you have a clean apartment!"

He smiled brightly, pressing his lips back to mine. "So…can I have my reward now?"

"Sure, why not….What do you want?"

He smirked down at me before moving to lay his head on my shoulder. I felt his breath against my neck as he gently placed his lips against it. "This." He mumbled, his voice husky. He pressed his lips against my neck again, this time, gently nipping it, causing me to gasp a little. "And some ice-cream."

I rolled my eyes. "You tease!" He laughed at my comment before grabbing my hand and walking us out the door to his apartment.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Reno and Haley stood in the line inside the ice-cream shop until they finally made it to the counter.

"What can I get you two?" The owner asked.

"I need two chocolates please." Reno said, handing the owner the due amount, and grabbing their cones in return, handing Haley one.

As they walked out, Haley turned around and shouted over her shoulder. "Thank you!"

The couple walked down the streets of Midgar, eating their ice-cream in silence, until Reno broke it.

"So…what should we do for the rest of the day?"

Haley shrugged as she took another lick from her ice-cream. "No clue….Hmm? We could go to the old church…"

"I don't see any problem with that."

Haley smiled. "Good!"

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A/N: I'm so, so, so, so sorry about the shortness and boringness of this chapter! See, I had a really bad day yesterday when I started it. All my songs that I had on my iPod touch got erased off of it, except for the ones that I purchased off of itunes. I swear that technology hates me! And, I have some good news! My pc is working again! Except, I cant get on the internet, and everything is slow, but at least its working! And I played my Ff7 game on my pc, and I was already on the last part where the last battle is, and I accidentally had another saved game on there, and I started playing that, and I saved it over my game that I was almost finished with….so, yeah, I'm mad! By the way, due to my fear of plugging in my iPod to my computer again, does anyone out there have an iPod touch? I just need to know if the songs you buy on itunes on your iPod will be erased if you choose to download them onto itunes on your computer. I don't remember if they are or not, so if anyone remembers, please tell me! Ok, so review and be happy that my pc is working again! LATER TATERS!


	48. The Importance of the flowers in Midgar

A/N: So sorry for not updating real fast! I was working on some of my other stories! Anyhoo, I just realized no one gave me their opinion on a smut filled chapter between Reno and Haley. Tell me if you would like to see one, or not. I want to be sure that it's something that you guys would like to see, so tell me! Now go and read the latest chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except this story and my characters, along with my copy of the game!

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48. The Importance Of the Flowers In the Church

Reno and I walked into the old church, making our way towards the flower bed surrounding the healing waters. I got down on my knees in front of the flowers, while Reno sat down in one of the pews. I carefully caressed the petals of the lilies that had grown here over the years. I smiled as they brought back memories of my time with Aerith. I laughed a little when I remembered that the church was where I had first met Reno.

"What're you laughing at?" I turned around to see Reno staring at me with a confused face.

"You remember when I first met you?" I asked, wondering if he remembered our first encounter.

He looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, before he spoke. "Oh, yeah. I met you when we fought up on the Sector 7 pillar."

I frowned at him. "No, that's not when we first met! I cant believe you don't remember that!"

"Hey, I'm sorry that I don't exactly remember you, except for when we were always fighting each other." He walked over and stepped into the flower bed, causing me to gasp.

"GAH! Get outta the flowers you dummy! You're squishing them!" I pushed him aside like I had done those 3 years ago, and immediately began to survey the damage.

His face turned into one of realization as I yelled at him and pushed him aside. "Oh! Now I remember! Whoops, sorry about the flowers…again."

I smiled up at him. "Well, at least you remembered. Besides, the flowers here are resilient to anything."

"I don't get it. Why are these flowers so important exactly?" Reno asked, sitting down next to me.

I smiled to myself as the memory of me asking the same question came back.

_Flashback:_

_Haley sat on the ground next to Aerith, listening to her hum a tune, and watching her care for the flowers that she loves so dearly. It had been about 2 weeks since Haley had met Aerith, and she would always follow her around. _

"_Aerith, I don't understand something….How come you love these flowers so much?" Haley asked, looking down at the flowerbed._

"_Well…." Aerith began thoughtfully. "I guess it's because you never really see any in Midgar because of the plate. And because this church is a sacred place. But I think, it's because these flowers continue to blossom here, even though they may not live forever. It's because, they give people hope." _

_Haley looked at the flowers in thought. "Hope, huh? ….I think you're right about that. Even though they live in place that cannot sustain actual plant life, they continue to thrive here, even though they risk death. I think I understand now. They don't give up on their chance of blooming."_

_Aerith smiled at the younger girl. "That's exactly what I meant." _

_Haley grinned. "Then, if they don't give up on themselves, then I wont give up on them either! I'll help take care of them, I promise!"_

_End flashback:_

"Because, they were Aerith's flowers." I mumbled quietly, noticing that Reno suddenly became quiet. "And because you really never see flowers in Midgar. Plus, this church is a sacred place, making them all the more special."

"But, that still doesn't exactly explain why you love them so much."

"They symbolize hope."

"Hope? Exactly how?" Man, Reno was acting like a five year old who wanted to know everything about everything!

"Because, even though they live somewhere that cannot sustain plant life in its condition during this time, they still continue to thrive here, even though they risk death. They give up their chance of blooming. And if they can continue to live and thrive, then so can we." I looked over to see what he was doing. He was staring down at the flower bed, and I noticed he was looking at a flower that was wilting.

"If that's true, then why are things around Midgar so bad?"

"Maybe, because it's time to start anew. Build something bigger and better, than the way it was before." I scooped up some healing water into my hands. "Even when something dies or falls, something will always grow. Something new and wonderful, all the same." I dropped the water onto the wilting flower, and watched it as it perked back up. "And, isn't that why we have the W.R.O? To help build something better than before?"

He smiled thoughtfully to himself. "I think I understand now."

"Good. You know, when I first came to Midgar, and found my way into this church, it was the first time I'd seen flowers in 5 years. And, I think that's the main reason that I care for them so much. Because, I want them to live."

"I know what you mean now." Reno smiled at me, standing up. "Thank you, for explaining that to me."

I smiled up at him. "If there's anyone to thank, it's Aerith. She's the reason why these flowers continue thrive."

"Thanks, Aerith. Because of you, all of us are still alive."

'_I promise I'll always take care of them, Aerith.'_

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A/N: I liked writing this chapter, so I hope you guys liked it! So, review! LATER TATERS!


	49. A visit with Elmyra

A/N: Wow…I cant believe I'm almost to fifty chapters. This story has definitely come a long way! *SOB* I feel so proud! FREE COOKIES FOR ALL OF YOU AWESOME READERS! Anyhoo, I am beginning to run out of ideas for chapters, so start sending in your suggestions! Enjoy!

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49. A visit with Elmyra

**Several weeks later-**

I was rudely awoken by the sound of the phone in Cloud's office ringing. I tried to ignore it for about five minutes, but yet, no one else answered it. With a loud groan, I rolled out of my bed, and made my way to the room next door to mine, pushing the door open, and sleepily stumbling towards the desk.

"This is why I should move out…" I mumbled, picking up the phone and putting it to my ear. "Hello? Strife Delivery Service! You name it, we deliver it! This is Haley speaking, how may I help you?"

'_I was hoping I would be able to speak to you soon, Haley.'_ I was a bit confused for a second, until I finally registered who the voice belonged to, causing me to grin widely.

"Hi, Mrs. Gainsborough! What can I do for you?"

'_I need someone to deliver something for me, and I was wondering if you and Cloud could both do it for me.'_

I didn't really understand the point of why Cloud needed to come, but I guess since it is his business, he should be able to do something.

"Sure. We'll be there shortly!"

She still lived in the same house from before. Amazingly, it was very surprising how it wasn't ruined when Meteor fell, but it still had a lot of damage done. She had some help rebuilding it and refurnishing the furniture too.

I dialed Cloud's number.

'_Hello?'_

"We have a delivery that requested we both go together."

'_Who called it in and requested it?'_

"Mrs. Gainsborough did." He grew quiet for what seemed like eternity, so I spoke up again. "Look, if you don't wanna go-"

'_I just walked into the bar. Come on down and we'll go.'_

I hung up, and ran into my room to change out of my pajamas and brush my hair, tying it up into a messy bun. After I had that done, I ran downstairs and outside, finding Cloud sitting on the already running Fenrir. I ran over and hopped on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist quickly, and he took off, heading to our destination.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

We stood in front of the door as I knocked on it, earning a 'Just a second!' from the other side of it. Finally it opened, revealing a smiling Mrs. Gainsborough. She smiled at me happily, pulling me into a comforting and loving hug.

"It's been far too long since you both last visited me! Please, come in!" She let me go, moving aside to let us in before she shut the door and walked us into the living room. "I'm sorry to call you both in during your working hours."

I smiled, shaking my head. "Oh, no, no! It's quite alright! Besides, only Cloud does the deliveries. We were planning to come and visit, isn't that right, Cloud?"

Cloud looked up, giving Elmyra a small smile. "Yeah…We were."

She smiled happily at the words. "Would you two like some tea?"

"Yes please!"

She looked at Cloud, who shook his head. "No thanks. I'm still on the job."

She walked into the kitchen, Cloud and I both close behind her. I sat down at the table, while Cloud stood. Elmyra came and sat down across from me, setting two cups of freshly brewed Jasmine tea on the table.

"Is little Marlene doing well?" Elmyra asked as I took a sip from my cup. "It's been practically three years already…Children grow up so fast…She must have gotten big." She smiled to herself thoughtfully, and I knew that she was probably lonely without Aerith here with her anymore, and without me too.

"If it's not too much trouble…" I began, causing her to look up at me. "I'll bring her along with me next time. She wants to see you, too."

She smiled happily. "Really?" I nodded my head, and her smile grew wider. "I'm so happy! It would be an absolute pleasure."

Cloud smiled at her, and I couldn't help but grin at the happiness that was radiating off of her. I loved Elmyra very much. She was like a second mother to me. When Aerith had brought me home, Elmyra was more than happy to have me come and stay with them. And when I had told them that once I had earned enough gil to find my own place, she opposed the idea and insisted I stayed here with her and Aerith. She even told me that I could call her mom, and I did. She treated me just like a daughter, and I guess that made me come to love her so much.

"Well then, I'm sorry, you were in the middle of work, weren't you?" Elmyra said to Cloud. He smiled.

"No, it can wait. Today isn't very busy."

"Well, why don't we all go into the living room where it's more comfortable."

I stood up with her, and followed her out, Cloud behind us. I turned around when I noticed Cloud had stopped, and was staring at something on the wall. I walked back to him. "Cloud, what're you looking-" I stopped when my gaze fell on what he was staring at.

It was a picture of Aerith from when she was probably around 5 or 6 at the time, holding a bouquet of lilies, her eyes closed as she was grinning happily. I felt the corner of my mouth tug up as a small smile began to make its way onto my face.

"Cute, hmm?" I turned to see Elmyra watching us as Cloud and I stood there looking at the picture. She approached and stood next to us. "She's exactly the same age as Marlene…She always loved flowers since a young age." Cloud turned and smiled gently at her as she continued.

"This photo of Aerith…is the only one I have left."

She smiled thoughtfully as she stared at the picture. I turned my attention to the photo hanging next to it, noticing the person in it right away. It was a picture of me that Aerith had taken while I sat out in the flowers at the church. I hadn't been looking, so she took it upon herself to take it.

"I suppose parents would normally be biased, but she really is quite cute, isn't she?" Elmyra asked us.

"Yea…she is." I said, smiling at the pictures hanging on the wall. Elmyra turned her attention to the one of me.

"Aerith took that picture when she and you went to the church one day, about a month after you had moved in with us. She had told me that since you had become part of our little family, you needed to have a perfect picture on my wall. I already had so many pictures of the both of you together, but this was the only one I had that had just you." Elmyra smiled, gazing at the picture. "You looked so calm and happy when she took it."

I looked at it, and took notice at my appearance. My hair had been longer back then, almost to my waist, whereas it's shoulder length now. I had it in a headband that had a little ribbon on it, and I had been wearing a blue sundress. I was smiling while I took in the sunlight coming from the roof as I sat in the flowers.

It had been like I had never been sad at all.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Cloud and I were walking out of the door, but we were stopped by Elmyra.

"Tell me…I've always been terrified to find out the answer to this, but…Aerith…" She looked down at the ground worriedly. "She died without suffering, right?"

Cloud said nothing, so I spoke up for him. Even though he had come to terms of our beloved flower girls death, he was still a bit touchy about talking about it.

"She was smiling up until the very end, wasn't she?"

I grabbed one of Elmyra's hands and held it with my own, giving her a small smile. "Her face was peaceful…just as if she were sleeping. And…she had a gentle smile on her face, as if nothing was wrong."

Elmyra teared up. "Good. I'm so glad to hear that." She pulled me into another hug, doing her best not to squish the bouquet of flowers she had handed me to deliver for her. "Tell her, the next time you go and see her, that mom says hello."

I smiled as I made my way to sit on Fenrir behind Cloud. "I will…I promise."

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A/N: AGH! I am sorry for not updating all to fast! I have thought up another brilliant story, but I don't think I will publish it yet because I still have other projects that have yet to even be completed! SO, review! LATER TATERS!


	50. Elena's Thoughts on Reno's relationship

A/N: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE! Ok, so this chapter is like, major awesome because well, I just think it is! Though it probably isn't, but that's what you readers are here for! You decide! Ok, to the story! Let us celebrate the 50th chapter of this story! YEAH!

Warning: This chapter contains foul language and mentions of sex! Unless you are not a fan of either, refrain your innocence and don't continue reading past this author note! For those of you who really don't care, Please do enjoy, and give a good review!

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50. Elena's Thoughts On Reno's Relationship

Reno sat in his office, doing nothing as usual, except throwing paper airplanes at the back of Elena's head, earning a few curses from the blonde as each one hit her in the head, distracting her from the paperwork she was working on. Eventually, Reno gave up on annoying Elena, and started to throw the paper airplanes at Rude. As usual, his partner said nothing as each one hit him in the back of the head. Elena remained silent as well….At least, until Reno threw a paper clip at her.

"I cant seem to understand how Haley is able to tolerate you and lazy ass behavior! I'm surprised that she hasn't even broken up with you yet!" Ouch. Reno found it to be a bit harsh, but Elena was always acting like she had a stick up her ass.

"How is it not understandable?" Reno retorted. "She obviously cares about me more than you take for granted!"

"I cant help but feel sorry for her. Having to be stuck with a guy like you." Elena said dryly.

"You saying that she's only being nice by sticking around with me?" Reno frowned at Elena as he asked this question.

"Just watch until you try and get her into your bed. You'll be so heartbroken when she turns you down." Reno laughed mentally at the comment. Elena was always saying how he would never be able to get someone into bed that easily, and it always backfired on her, because in the end, Reno always ended up doing so.

But this time, Elena was positive about this though. She knew the younger Strife sibling was smart enough to realize what some men would try to do to sleep with her, and when said men tried to flirt with her and convince her to sleep with them, they always ended up with a black eye or broken bone. In simpler terms: Haley knew how to turn down such offers extremely harshly.

"Oh, so you're saying that she wouldn't ever wanna get in bed with me?" Reno smirked at the younger Turk, thinking at how crazy she was acting.

"She'd probably slap you for even trying such a thing!"

"Look, she's my girlfriend, right?" Elena nodded. "And we've been going out for about, what? Five months? If she's been with me this long, then I have no doubts that she would reject me if I asked her for sex."

"Really? Reno, practically all the women in this building know how you play. You only go with someone for the sex. I'm surprised you haven't even broken own from going without it for so long? Don't look at me like that! The secretaries talk!" Elena explained as a look of shock and disgust appeared on the red-heads face.

"Well…maybe I like her for more than sex…Maybe I only like her for herself." Poor Reno, suffering with his inner turmoil of confusion. "But I know she wouldn't reject me just like that! What do you know Elena? You're not me! I'm going home!" Just like that, he got up from his desk and dashed out of the office, leaving his two co-workers in silence, until-

"100 gil says he drinks an entire week when she rejects him." Rude said. Sure, Reno was a drinker, but never had he gone that far over a girl.

Elena smirked. "I say he doesn't, but you're on!"

Both shook hands to confirm their bet was in place.

* * *

Ugh….It's raining outside today. Tifa and the kids went out t do some grocery shopping, and Cloud was in his office doing Gaia knows what. I'm bored…So very, very, very bored! Even Taffy was busy sleeping! I sighed aloud, covering me face with my pillow. I really need social life.

"Why are you covering your entire face with a pillow?" I recognized Cloud's voice coming from the entrance of my room.

"Because, I have no life!" I mumbled into the pillow. I heard Cloud chuckle slightly, so I threw my pillow at him, hitting him square in the face. "Oh yeah! Right in the face!"

"You're right, you really need a life." And with that, he walked out.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean you spiky headed jerk?" I asked, jumping up and running after him, jumping up and latching myself to his back. "Cloudy piggy-back rides!"

"Haley, get off."

"No! Faster, Cloudy, faster!" I clung onto my brother as he struggled to throw me off, but he had no such luck.

"Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that we're even related."

I smiled, giving him a hug. "Love you too, Cloud…Love you too."

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A/N: Sorry it was so short! I was running out of what to type down! So sorry! Yea, I have an awesome idea for a new story, but I am refraining myself from publishing it, because I have a whole bunch of uncompleted projects that need to be finished! LATER TATERS!


	51. Reno's Inner Turmoil

A/N: So, here is chapter 51! So amazing that I have gotten this far with this story! Anyhoo, please enjoy, and don't forget to review! Also, I would like to apologize if this chapter was not entertaining. I'm having a hard time trying to come up with the idea of the chapter where Reno tries to woo Haley, and I'm beginning to regret even writing the last chapter.

Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own anything, for if I did, Sephiroth would not have gone mad, and I would own Cloud and Reno. Also, I don't own the song, Scarborough Fair.

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51. Reno's Inner Turmoil

I sighed as I sat on Clouds bed in his office, watching him write down stuff. Things were extremely boring, and I did not like it. Also, for some reason, Reno hasn't come over at all this week. Every time I call, he has to go before I can even ask him how he's doing. I cant help but have the feeling that he's avoiding me, but if he's actually really busy, then I just wont ask…I guess. Anyhoo, I was bored just sitting here doing nothing productive. I sighed again loudly, leaning my head against the wall.

"If you sigh one more time, I will throw you out of the window." Cloud said, glancing over at me from the corner of his eye.

I stuck my tongue out at him like a child. "Meanie." I looked around the room, and my eyes landed on the calendar. It was March 20...The first day of spring, how nice….FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

**"HOLY SHIVA!"** I exclaimed, causing Cloud to fall backwards in his chair as I shouted. He scowled at me as I moved over to the calendar to see if it was really the first day of spring.

"I think I should've thrown you out the window when I had the chance." Cloud mumbled, and I turned around to frown at him.

"It's the first day of spring! Do you know what goes on during the first week of spring?" I asked, grabbing my brother by the shoulders, shaking him a little bit.

"Spring cleaning?" Wow…

**"NO STUPID!** It means the Scarborough Fair begins in Nibelheim!" I exclaimed.

Scarborough Fair is a festival that we would celebrate in Nibelheim for the coming of spring one whole week. The whole town would celebrate with all sorts of things, but the best part to me was the singing and dancing. There was lots of that, and that was my type of thing!

"Oh…that's lovely." Cloud mumbled. I looked up at him and pouted.

"Cloud, can we please go?"

"….No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Well, you know what, you don't have to go! I'll just get Cid to come and get me and fly me and everyone else there, and we'll just leave you behind ya party-pooper!"

I walked out and left him in his office, while I went downstairs to get Tifa and everyone else to rally up and go with me.

0o0o0o0o

Reno sat at his desk, bored as ever. He stared at his phone that was laying next to his arm, contemplating whether he should call his girlfriend or not. He had only talked to her a few minutes each time this week, due to him lying to her about being busy with work. Why had he lied? Well, when he guaranteed Elena that Haley wouldn't deny him for sex, he regretted even saying such a thing. Because, although he would never admit this to Elena, she was right. Haley would slap him across the face for even suggesting and trying to woo her into bed. That's not how she works. But for the first time in his life, Reno wasn't hanging with a girl for good sex. He was hanging with this one because he actually had strong feelings for her, feelings that he had never felt before.

In other words, he loved her. He loved her very much, more than he had ever loved anything in his life actually. She was his happy little ray of sunshine that brightened his dull and disastrous life where he had done so much wrong. She was his best friend that he confide in whenever he needed to. She always called in to see how he was doing, and tell him that she missed him. Oh yeah, he was whipped, and bad. He was very much in love with her.

And it scared the shit out of him. It scared him for so many reasons. He was monster that had killed numerous times, taking innocent lives away for no reason, and he never cared when he had to kill someone. If they weren't someone of importance to him, then he didn't care. He only cared if the job got done, and that was it. It was part of his job.

His life before he became a Turk was dark one that he had never told anyone about, except Rude, and Tseng who knew before everyone else. He hadn't even told Haley. The only things she knew about his past were that his dad had left him in his mom when he was a kid, and that his mother died when he was 10. That was it. She had asked multiple times before, but he would always say 'Not much to say about it' and she would just drop it and not ask anymore about it until later on sometime. He knew that she did it to respect his privacy, and that she wasn't one to pry like others had tried to do so in the past. She would wait until he was ready to tell her.

But would he even do that? Would he ever feel ready to tell her everything about him, past and present? He had a dangerous job. He was an assassin for crying out loud! His job was more dangerous than anyone could even imagine. And his chance of having a normal and safe life was not possible. And having a relationship with someone such as he had, was quite dangerous, not for him, but for his girlfriend. If he were to ever be targeted, the person would find ways to make his life miserable. They would find out about people closest to him, and threaten him by using those closest to him bait and tools. They would use them against him. And their safety and lives would be at stake because of him.

People feared the Turks. They scared everyone who knew what they had done. When he had first met Haley, not the time in the old church, but the time they first actually battled, she hadn't been scared of hurting him, when he had the power to kill her instantly. When he had caught her when she had been walking around alone in Gongaga before Meteor and after he had come back from being out due to his injuries that AVALANCHE had caused him on the Sector 7 pillar, she didn't seem a bit fazed at him finding her alone. She hadn't screamed for help, or run away, or tried to fight him. He had his EMR pulled out and ready to fight if she was wanting to. But instead of that, she only stood there and scoffed at him.

"_No need to get all ready for a fight. Not like I'm gonna run off and scream that you're here with your teammates." She had taken a seat on a rock, ignoring his presence. _

He had been so confused as to why she hadn't done the following mentioned, and how she acted like he wasn't even a challenge. He dropped his weapon down to his side, frowning over at her.

"_You had the opportunity to take me down, yet you didn't even draw your sword to defend yourself. I had the chance to kill you, and you didn't even consider fighting me back. How come you're not scared?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders. "Because, I don't think you are scary."_

_He had been surprised to hear that from someone like her. "What makes you say that?"_

_She had turned around to smile at him, standing up and walking off. "Because, you're too lazy for one thing, and well…I like you're attitude, and I like you._"

That had been before she had even the slightest kind of feelings she has for him now. She liked him because she knew that he was a good guy inside, though he didn't really even know that's what she had meant. And…

She had been the first person to say that he wasn't scary. But he was. Why didn't she care about that?

He let his mind go back to what Tifa had said the day that Haley had been injured by Kadaj.

"_Because, Reno, she loves you."_

Reno sighed in frustration with his emotions. He loved the youngest Strife more than anything in the world. She was his world, and she was his life. But the fact was, that her being with him was more dangerous than he had thought, and it terrified him that she could be hurt because of him and his job. If he could, he would quit right then and there, but he knew that he couldn't. Once a Turk, always a Turk until you die.

But he didn't know what to do about their relationship. He loved her so much, that if Godzilla were to go on a rampage in Midgar, he wouldn't notice it because he would be to busy thinking about-

Just before he could finish that thought, his phone began to ring. He picked it up and looked at it. It was her.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, how're you doing?" _She asked, and he could sense the smile in her voice.

He smiled a bit. "Fine, and bored. What about you?"

"_Eh, ok. Listen, all of us are going to Nibelheim for the rest of the week, and I want you to come with us." _

A whole week in Nibelheim with Haley sounded good to him, until he remembered what his thoughts had been on their relationship.

"Um, sorry, but I have to work." In all honesty, it was true, but he never did his work unless it was a mission.

"_Not anymore you don't!" _What'd she mean by not anymore? "_I talked to Rufus, and he said you could come! So don't try and give me another excuse mister, because I haven't seen you all week, and I would really like to spend time with you once and awhile!"_

He mentally sighed. He knew she would just be upset at him if he didn't go, and if he knew that everyone would just be mad at him if he made her upset. And if he did go, she would want to know why he had been ignoring her all week and what was on his mind. Either way, he had no choice but to go.

"Sure. I'll meet you at the bar after I go home and pack."

"_Great! See ya then!"_ The line clicked and closed his phone, rubbing his temples.

He had to ask someone for advice.

* * *

A/N: So, what did you guys think? Was it good? Tell me in a review, kay? LATER TATERS!


	52. Reno asks For Advice

A/N: Hello my dears! Yes, I am becoming a bit of a boring writer and all, but at least I still have the respect of some of my favorite reviewers! Anyhoo, if this chapter is short and whatnot, I'm sorry! It's not intentional if it is, ok? Also, it would be lovely if some of you awesome readers would be as of so kind to read some of my other stories that are in need of reviews. I feel unmotivated if I don't have any or many, so I would really appreciate it if you did! Please and thank you! Now, go on and enjoy chapter 52!

Disclaimer: *SOB* I don't own Reno or anything else. I only own my story and plot, along with Haley Strife, and my own characters. Everything that I mentioned that I do not own belongs to Square Enix. Also, I do not own the song, Scarborough Fair.

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52. Are You Going To Scarborough Fair/ Reno asks for advice

"No."

"But why not?"

"Because I said so, that's why!"

"But he's just a baby! I cant just leave him here all by himself!"

"I don't want to walk around my ship and end up stepping in dog crap!"

"But he's housebroken! He wont poop on your goddamn floors!"

"You insulting my floors?"

"What if I am, old man? What're you gonna do about it?"

Cid glared at me as I called him old man. For the past ten minutes, I had been trying to convince him to let me bring Taffy. Of course, although Cid did like dogs, he didn't like the idea of one being on his ship for just a few hours.

When he didn't say anything, I sighed. "Look, I promise if he makes a mess, which I highly doubt he'll do, I'll clean it up, ok?"

Cid didn't say anything, just glared at me.

"Please, Cid?" I put on my pout, getting really close to his face so he could stare right at it. "Pretty please? Because, if you don't, I'll tell Shera."

Everyone knew that Cid was very scared of Shera when she got really angry at him for something. And after I paid a visit to Rocket Town last year, Cid got in trouble for being rude to me. Let's just say, he'll never do that again.

"Fine, but I swear, if I see one mess, he goes!" With that said, he walked out to the bridge, and I smiled, scratching Taffy behind his ears, earning a happy bark from the little puppy.

Soon, everyone was on the ship, and the only person we were waiting for to get here was Reno. I stood around, walking around, waiting patiently, until I saw familiar red hair out of the corner of my eye.

"CID, YOU CAN TAKE OFF NOW!" I shouted to the pilot, who grunted in response, and the ship began to move as Reno and I made it over to the others.

"Why are we going to Nibelheim exactly?" Reno asked me, taking a seat across from me.

"We're going to Scarborough Fair!" I exclaimed, smiling at him, only earning a confused look from him.

"What's that?" He asked. I almost fell out of my chair from the shock. Almost everyone has heard of it! I mean, I think…

"Please tell me that everyone else here, besides Reno, has heard of the Scarborough Fair?" Only Tifa and Cloud raised their hands. "Really? Are you serious? Scarborough Fair is a festival that is held in Nibelheim for the coming of spring every year. Surely you've heard the song?" They shook their heads as a sign of no.

"Maybe you should sing it." Tifa suggested, and I figured that she had a good idea there.

"You guys have never heard this song:

'_Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and I to one who lives there, he once was a true love of mine.'_

I sang the first two lines of the song and stopped. When some of them showed realization on their faces, I smiled. "You'll see what it's like when we get there."

"How long until we reach Nibelheim, Cid?" Tifa asked.

"About five hours."

"Well, I'm gonna go and take a nap. I didn't get very much sleep last night." I said, stifling a yawn as I headed out and into one of the rooms, taking Taffy with me.

0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o

After Haley had left the room, and everyone else went about doing there own thing, Reno sat in a chair, trying to think of who he should ask for relationship advice. He thought that maybe Cid would have some good words, being as he was married. But he soon changed his mind after remembering how Cid's relationship with Shera began. Barret was out, because Reno didn't know how to ask the man for advice that he needed. Cloud was definitely out, because he was her brother, and Reno knew that Cloud still didn't like him all that much. Plus, if he sensed that Reno was doubting the relationship he had with Haley, Cloud would probably kill him for breaking the younger girls heart. Red was out, and so was Cait, which only left Tifa and Yuffie. He went with the safest choice, which was Tifa.

Quietly, he approached her, clearing his throat to get her attention. Tifa looked up at the red-head.

"Something I can do for you, Reno?" Tifa asked, a smile on her face.

"Um, well…." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I was wondering, if you could give me some advice…relationship wise."

Tifa's face turned into one of realization and understanding. "Sure thing. What's the problem?"

Reno sat down across from her. "I'm in love with her, Tifa." Tifa looked up at him with amazement in her eyes upon hearing Reno say something like that.

"And what's the problem with that?"

Reno, looked over at the wall nervously. "Because…it scares me."

"Scares you? It scares you that you love her?"

"I'm a Turk, Tifa. An assassin. I've killed so many people. I'm not just scared about my feelings, but I'm scared for the safety of the people I care for. I'm afraid that the job I have will hurt Haley somehow. I don't want that for her."

Tifa looked at him with confusion. "Reno, what are you trying to say?"

"I don't know what to do…It scares me to think that something bad would happen to her that would take her away from me forever, and it scares me to even think about leaving her. But…the point is, I'm too dangerous for her to be with."

A loud SLAP was all that could be heard in the operation room as Tifa slapped Reno across the face, leaving a red mark on his pale cheek. He put a hand to it and looked up at Tifa, slightly wincing at angry look she was giving him.

"If you love her, Reno, then you will not, and I repeat, WILL NOT, break up with her! If you do that, she'll never be the same like she is now."

Reno looked up at her with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"After Aerith died, she didn't do anything. She stopped laughing with the rest of us when someone said something funny. She smiled, but you could tell that it was fake when you looked into her eyes and saw the sadness in them. Aerith was like a sister to her, and the trauma of having to see her die the way she did caused her to lock her emotions up and fake her happiness. She told me that when she ad first came to Midgar, she had been just like that. But when Aerith and her mother took her in, her happiness came back. But is slowly began to disappear after Aerith died. But, you seemed to have brought it back, Reno." Tifa smiled at him.

"How?"

"Just by being there with her and caring for her. She loves you, Reno. So, so much. When you and her started to hang around with each other, she started laughing again, and smiling more genuinely. And she does now. But, if you were to go and leave her, you'd be taking away all that you've given back to her. She'd just be broken and lost all over again."

The words sunk into Reno's mind, giving him more realization than he ever had. Tifa was right about her laughter and smiles becoming more genuinely real ever since he and Haley had started to go out. He noticed it too. He didn't want to be the one to take away all that from her when he had only just given it back to her. He refused to do such a thing.

"Haley knows that you have a dangerous job. And she knows the risks of it too. But she doesn't care. She cares about you more than your job. She knows that being with you is putting her own life at risk, but she stays with you because she loves you. And you shouldn't really worry about her safety, because she can take care of herself, without getting killed."

He knew that was true, so he didn't argue back. He smiled to himself, because if he loved her more than anything in the world, and wanted to always be with her, there was only one thing left to do then.

"Tifa, is there a jewelry store in Nibelheim?"

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A/N: OMG! What could Reno possibly want to get at jewelry store? Can you people guess and contain your excitement at the same time? J You'll find out in the next chapter, so review if you want it up right a way! LATER TATERS!


	53. Shopping!

A/N: Hmm…nobody seems to have figured out why Reno asked if there was a jewelry store in Nibelheim…Hehe, this only adds to the element of surprise! Yes, I know I am evil, Mwahahah! Ok, not really, but you get the picture…I think…Anyhoo, thank you to all of those who reviewed last chapter, well, technically thank you to xxDarkAssassinxx, since you were the only one who reviewed the last chapter so far! Actually, I am going to just thank you for reviewing every chapter, because you have! Free cookie for you *Hands you Cookie*! Now, go, my wonderful readers and reviewers! GO! Read like the wind! (Ok, that was extremely corny!) ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything! I own Haley and this story, and that's basically it!

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53. Shopping!

**"LET ME OFF! LET ME OFF!"** Yuffie shouted as soon as we had landed, running out of the ship and onto solid land. For the past five hours, she had been laying on the floor, groaning and asking if we were there every five minutes. Eventually, it got so annoying, Cid tricked her into reading something for him, causing her stomach to churn even more.

I looked at her with pity, patting her sympathetically as she laid on the ground, before turning my attention to the town. Everyone was out, and celebrating already. There was dancing and singing going, and I felt like screaming out in excitement. I had always love the festival, because you could go out and dance and sing with everyone. It was fun, and everyone should always have a chance to have a night of fun, even if they felt like they didn't need to! This statement is directed to Reno, who always works.

"Ok, now that we're here, let's go check into the inn." I said, walking off towards the middle of town, everyone trailing behind me slowly.

0o0o0o0o00o0o0o

After we all checked into the hotel, and gone off to our rooms, that's when I would move out, and find the store that Tifa had told me about. The only problem was sneaking out without Haley noticing and asking why I was going to a jewelry store. Tifa said she'd cover for me by going to the dress shop, that way Haley would just think Tifa wanted some girl time with her, and I knew that she wouldn't dare drag me into a dress shop.

So far, my plan was all figured out. Now, all I had to do was put it into action.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

I had been laying on my bed when someone began knocking on my door. Lazily, I got up, and walked over to it, opening it up to see Tifa standing there, a smile on her face.

"Hey, me and Yuffie are going to the dress shop, and I want you to come with us."

"Thanks for the invite, but Reno-"

"Actually, Reno went to walk around town for some exploring on his own. He said to tell you that he'd see you tonight at the festival." Tifa explained to me.

Why Reno needed to 'explore' the town was out of my understanding, but I didn't bother to question it. "Well, ok. Sounds like fun!"

Together, we went after Yuffie, who begged us not to take her, and dragged her with us.

"Please, I beg you! **HAVE MERCY!**" Yuffie pleaded as we dragged her inside to the shop.

"No, Yuffie! We are going to have some girl time, whether you like it or not!" Tifa said, keeping a firm grip on Yuffie's arm so she wouldn't bolt.

"The Great Ninja Yuffie doesn't wear dresses!" Yuffie exclaimed, causing me to chuckle quietly.

"Come with me, and you can just help me pick out stuff. I promise I wont make you try anything on, though I cant be to sure about Tifa." We both looked over at said person, noticing she was wearing her evil smile.

"Sounds great, let's go!" Yuffie grabbed my arm, and began dragging me through the store, Tifa close behind us.

* * *

"OOOHH, try this one on!" Tifa exclaimed throwing a lilac colored strapless dress at Haley, who caught easily.

"Tifa, I am not some dress up doll." I said, rolling my eyes at her. "Though I do like this dress, and I do think I will try it on." Haley smiled at Tifa, walking into the changing rooms.

While Haley was in there, Yuffie pulled Tifa away and around the corner. "Tifa, you said that Reno was walking around town, but I just saw him go into the jewelry store across the street. Did you lie to Haley?"

"Shhhh! Not exactly. I'm covering for Reno, because-" She looked around, and leaned in and whispered into Yuffie's ear. Yuffie's face grew to one of surprise, and she had to place her hands over her mouth to prevent her from squealing.

"Hey, guys? What do you think?" Both girls turned around to see Haley wearing the dress. They smiled at how good the dress looked, and how it looked just perfect for her. "Well then, I think I found the dress I will be wearing tonight."

As soon as Haley had the dress paid for, all three left and went back to inn.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Reno walked into the little shop that Tifa had told him about. It was surprisingly very well stocked, and once he had looked around and noticed all the prices, he realized that for expensive looking jewelry, the prices were extremely good.

"Excuse me sir, but can I help you?" Reno drew his attention to the counter, where a woman was standing behind it, waving him over.

"Yea, I was wondering if I could have a look at some rings." Reno explained.

The woman nodded. "I take it that your looking for a ring for your girlfriend." Reno looked at her with a shocked expression, causing her to chuckle. "Trust me. All of them have that look in their eyes when they come here. What color stone?"

Reno thought about what Haley liked best. Her birthday was in February, and her birthstone was Amethyst. It was her favorite color. But normally, the guys would buy rings that had a diamond. All of this was making his head spin, and he was regretting coming without thinking of what stone that he wanted. The woman laughed at his expression.

"I take it that you have no clue what color?" He nodded his head. "Don't worry, dear, they come in all the time and have the same problem. What two colors do you have in mind?"

"Amethyst and diamonds. But I think that she would like one with just a single diamond, but yet again, she's never told me what she likes with rings." Reno shrugged his shoulders.

The woman smiled at him. "Diamonds are usually the traditional type, and a lot of customers that come in here always ask for something in amethyst. I have one that has both stones. Wait right here, dear." She stepped into the room behind the counter for a few minutes, before coming back with a small velvet box, opening it up for Reno. "You still have your traditional diamond in the middle, with one stone amethyst on each side of it."

Reno grinned happily. "It's perfect. I'll take it."

He pulled out the amount of gil due, and handed it to the woman, only to get the extra 200 gil back. "I'm giving it to you for half price."

"Thank you. I really appreciate your help with this. She's gonna love it."

"I know she will, especially if it's coming from a young man like yourself. Thank you for your purchase, and have a good day!"

"I will." With that said, Reno walked out of the store with the little velvet box in his pants pocket.

* * *

A/N: OMG! A RING! Can you guess what Reno's gonna do with the ring? If not, keep on reading to find out! LATER TATERS! AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

P.S.- for a picture of the ring I described, go to my profile and scroll down until you see the link I put up!


	54. Let the festivities begin! Marry Me?

A/N: WHOO! Chapter 54! Yea, I'm all hyped up and writing this at 1 a.m. so be grateful you have an authoress that's so dedicated to her work! Ok, your all probably wondering why Reno bought that mysterious ring, huh? Well, first off, he isn't asking Tifa to marry him, because if he did, then, well…Haley would kill him, and then she would never be happy again! Plus, that would bring back his womanizing habits, which I do not want to come back! But just read and you'll find out what happens, I promise!

Disclaimer: don't own anything except what belongs to me rightfully.

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54. Let the Festivities Begin!/ Asking Big Brother For permission

After it got dark, our heroes dressed up and went out to join the festivities. The only one who was actually dressed up for the occasion was Haley, who was showing off her new lilac colored dress. The atmosphere of Nibelheim was filled with idle chatter and music and dancing. The smell of homemade foods flitted around, attracting people to the food stands they were at. Paper lanterns were strung out on lines in the street, lighting the entire town up. All in all, I was the perfect atmosphere for a festival such as this one.

"And now, my fellow people," Haley began, turning around to look at all of them. "IS WHERE WE GO AND HAVE FUN!"

Everyone either went to go walk around by themselves, in a group, or in partners. Tifa and Yuffie went off together to go look at the stands. Barret, Cid, Vincent, Cloud, Cait, and Red all went off to go check out the food, leaving Haley, Reno, and the kids.

"Ok, what should we do first?" Haley asked, looking at each of them.

"Can we get something to eat, please?" Marlene asked, her stomach growling in response.

Haley smiled at the younger girl. "Sure! Let's go!" She began to walk ahead, and Denzel ran after her, grabbing a hold of the older girls hand, and holding it in his own. Haley smiled down at him, gripping his hand a little tighter. Marlene looked up at Reno before grabbing his hand and pulling him after Haley and Denzel. Marlene grabbed Haley's other hand and held it in her own, while she held Reno's in her other one. Together, the four went off in search of some food.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After we had found something to eat, Reno bought the kids some cotton candy, and one for me and him to share. Marlene and Denzel had run off to play some games, and Reno and I sat on a bench while we waited for them, taking turns biting off a piece of cotton candy.

"You wanna go and do something? Maybe knock all the bottles down with a ball?" Reno asked me, taking another bite of cotton candy.

"Would you do it for me?" I looked over at him with a small smile as he handed me the cotton candy.

He grinned. "Sure, what do you want?" He asked as we walked over to the stand.

I looked around, and noticed a cute little panda plushy. "The panda please!"

He laughed and paid the stand manager, who gave him three tennis balls. In all three throws, he knocked down all the bottles without missing a single one. He told the stand manager which prize, and the man handed him the panda, and Reno handed it to me.

"Here you are babe! One panda bear, just for you!" He winked at me as he took hold of my hand.

I hugged the stuffed bear to me. "Thank you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Everyone else had gathered in the middle of town, where the final part of festival for tonight was about to take place. Reno walked over to them, while Haley had taken the kids to the bathroom. He walked over to Cloud and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Strife, can I talk to you?" Reno asked, nervously scratching the back of his head. Cloud nodded in response, telling him to continue.

Reno and Cloud walked away from the others. "Listen, I know that you don't like me all that much, and I can understand that. But I love your sister…a lot. And…what I'm trying to say…What I'm trying to ask is…" Reno paused, trying to find a way to say it without Cloud getting mad.

"Spit it out, Reno." Cloud said, his patience not liking to be tested.

"May I have permission to marry your sister?" Reno blurted out, surprising Cloud.

Reno wanted to marry his only baby sister? **HIS** sister? And Reno, a womanizer, was asking his permission?

"I'm not Haley, so you shouldn't be asking me for permission. She's the one who has to say yes."

Reno looked up at Cloud, amazement in his eyes, along with happiness. "Thanks man!"

Reno ran off back to await Haley, while stood still for a moment.

'_Cant believe that guy is going to be my future brother-in-law…'_

* * *

I was standing there, watching as the finale was going on, only to be pulled away by Reno.

"Reno, what're you doing?"

He smiled at me, leading me down to a meadow that was just a little outside of the town. "You'll see."

I frowned. "I'm not exactly seeing anything, Reno. Couldn't this wait until later?" I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

"No, it's extremely important."

We stopped in the middle, and he let go of my hand, turning around to look at me. "I'm sorry that I've acted like I've been avoiding you all week. Saying that I was busy would be a lie. My emotions, are what kept me away. I was busy sorting them out. I finally came to the conclusion on how to solve them."

"How?" I asked, confusion filling me.

"By telling you this. I love you. I know when I tell you this, it doesn't sound like I always mean it, but I do, Haley. I really do. You've lightened up my life. Even though I am someone who has done so much wrong, you don't care. That's what I love about you. You stay with me because of how you feel, not by your thoughts on my actions. I need you in my life, Haley. I always will."

I felt my eyes begin to sting at his words. He loved me….He REALLY loved me. "Reno…"

He pulled me close to him, leaning his forehead against mine, closing his eyes and giving me a quick peck. "You're my life….And I love you for it….I cant stand to imagine you not being in it."

We stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other. I noticed Reno dig through his pants pocket, but I didn't look to see what it was. I took notice that the field had lit up, and I saw fireflies flitting around us, lighting up the entire meadow.

"Marry me?" I felt my eyes widen as the question popped out.

"C-come again?" I asked, not sure I if I had heard right the first time.

Reno chuckled. "I said, marry me." He opened up the palm of his hand, which had a ring in the center of it, and got down on one knee. "Please?"

I smiled at him, tears falling down my face. I choked back a sob, although it did catch his attention, causing him to frown in worry.

"Shit! I asked you too soon, didn't I? Man, forget this ever-"

"No, silly!" I cried out. "I'm not crying because I'm upset! I'm crying because I'm happy."

He looked at me softly, a grin coming onto his face. "So, is that a yes?"

"Yes! **YES,YES,YES!** A million times, **YES**!" I exclaimed, and he slid the ring on my finger, and stood up, picking me up and spinning me around as we both laughed.

**"YES! SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!"**

0o0o0o0o00o0oo0o

Everyone stood around as soon as the festival had ended, and silence had come back. It was broken when they heard shouting not too far away, catching their attention when they recognized who it was.

**"YES! SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!"** Was what they had hear Reno shouting happily. They all, except for Tifa, Cloud, and Yuffie, had no clue what had just occurred, until they heard Haley laughing happily, something that they hadn't heard in over three years.

They all cheered together when they realized what she had just agreed to

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A/N: So, how was it? Sorry if it was a bit corny, but I couldn't help it! Hehe, hope you liked it ^-^! LATER TATERS!


	55. Plans

A/N: Hehe, I love this story J! So, yeah….I take it that all of you do too, which is why you wont hurt me if I say that I probably wont go into the DoC plot in this story for reasons being A-it would take to long to do it, and B-I'd rather get on with the wedding plans! But like I said, I maybe will go into it, or I maybe wont, Besides, Haley's part wouldn't be all that large, until we get to the part of the game where Midgar is under attack. So, yeah, just read and enjoy!

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55. Plans

I laid on my bed, staring up at the ceiling while Tifa and Yuffie sat on either side of me, talking away. Just take one guess at what they were talking about…

"So, when are you gonna have the wedding?" Yuffie asked.

We've only been back in Midgar for two hours, and already they were chatting away about wedding plans when I've only been engaged for 24 hours. Now, if you've only been engaged for 24 hours, would you already be talking about plans? NO!

Besides being annoyed, I was also very happy. I mean, Reno, my Reno, asked me to marry him! Honestly, I hadn't really expected him to ask me, let alone this soon, but I'm happy and he's happy, and so is everyone else…I think. Alas, for all I can say, I couldn't be any happier.

"Haley, are you even listening?"

"Huh?" I looked up to see Tifa staring at me with a blank look. "Oh, sorry, um what were saying?" I said, waving a hand for her to continue.

"I think you should have a winter wedding." Oh, Leviathan, help me now.

"Um, guys? I don't want to sound rude or anything, but…It's my wedding, and I'm the one who's getting married. You guys are giving me wonderful ideas, but…they're just not what 'I' want to use, exactly." I felt pretty bad about having to put it like that.

"Oh my god, were sorry!" Tifa apologized, "I guess the excitement just got to us. I mean, you're getting married!"

"I mean, can you blame us for getting all wedding plannery when you're the one getting married?" Yuffie exclaimed, and we all laughed at what she said.

"Cant say I can, but…I can tell you something you can do for my wedding. You can both be bridesmaids!" They both squealed in delight.

Maybe planning a little right now wouldn't be such a bad idea.

**At Shinra H.Q.-**

"…."

**"YOU'RE WHAT?"**

Reno winced a little as Elena yelled. "Geez, Laney, calm down!"

"You asked her to marry you…and she said yes?" Elena was not believing her ears. When Reno had walked in as calm and happy as ever, she took it upon herself and Rude to find out why he was acting this way. Of course, they hadn't exactly been planning, or prepared to hear what he told them.

"Yep! She said yes." He grinned happily, kicking his feet up onto his desk, resting them there as he leant back, in his chair, arms crossed behind his head.

"…." Was all that came from Rude, while Elena basically, squeaked before passing out.

"Hmm…didn't expect her to do that." Reno said, looking down at the unconscious Elena, before frowning at his partner. "And I didn't expect you to be silent the entire time! I should at least have one person congratulate me for this."

"…Congratulations, Reno." Rude said, before picking up Elena and dragging her to the infirmary.

"So, it's true then." Reno turned his attention to his left, and found Tseng leaning against the wall. "You really asked her to marry you?"

"Yep! And, she said yes!" Reno said, sighing contently. He couldn't believe it himself. Him, the well known womanizer, was actually going to settle down with someone he truly loved.

Tseng chuckled. "Well, congratulations, Reno. Send me an invitation to the wedding when you figure out when it will be."

"Yeah, sure thing, boss!"

**Back with Haley-**

"She really fainted when you told her?"

'_Yeah, it was really…odd. I was sure she'd be the first person to congratulate me for finally trying to settle down with someone, y'know?_"

I laughed. "Yeah. Maybe she was overly happy, and that's what caused her to faint."

"_Yeah, maybe. So, how'd your day go?"_

I groaned in response. "Ugh, it was oh so very, very, very boring! All I did was talk with Tifa and Yuffie about the wedding plans!"

"_And without me?" _Reno whined, and I giggled.

"Don't worry, I told them that they could be bridesmaids, not my wedding planners. Oh, do you think that Elena wouldn't mind being one of my bridesmaids?"

"_Laney? A bridesmaid? Well, if it's my wedding, she'll probably say no."_

"But she's my friend, so I you will tell her that I would like her to be one!" I ordered him, and he laughed.

"_Yeah, ok, fine! Listen, I'm heading out now. I'll be over there in about fifteen minutes."_

"Ok, see ya then!"

"_I love you, Haley." _

I smiled. "Love you too, Reno. Bye!"

I pocketed my phone once more, smile on my face. I got back to boxing my things when I heard someone walk into my room. I turned around and smiled.

"Hey, Denzel!" I greeted happily. My smile dropped when I noticed he was looking a bit down. "Hey, what's wrong?"

I kneeled down in front of him, hoping to get a better look at his face, only to fail when he kept it down. "Denzel, are you feeling alright?"

"Why are you leaving?" The question itself was something I had not expected, let alone, coming from Denzel.

I frowned. "What do you mean?" He kept his gaze down at the floor, which must have been very interesting if he wanted to look at it instead of me.

"You're moving away to live with Reno." He pointed towards the two boxes I had placed on my bed, already full of pretty much everything I owned. Oh, that's right. I didn't mention that I was moving out and in with Reno, did I? Hehe, oops!

"Yeah, I am, but why are you so upset about it?"

"Because…I don't wont you to leave me!" And then, he started to cry.

"Oh, Denzel, I-"

**"JUST GO ON AND LEAVE! I HATE YOU!" **He ran out, crying.

"Hey, Denzel how's it…" Denzel ignored Reno, and continued running. "Hey, is he alright?" Reno asked me when he reached my room.

I shook my head. "No…I don't think he is…"

* * *

A/N: GASP! Denzel is upset, but why? How will Haley fix this problem? Review, and you'll find out next chapter! Oh, by the way, I have a new story out, called the Planets Crisis. I have only one review, and seeing as you guys like me and all, than could you please be so kind as to review that story? Please! Ok, later taters!


	56. The problem With Denzel

A/N: …..*SOB* I don't know why I went on and wrote the next chapter when everyone has suddenly stopped reviewing for some reason that I do not know of. People I have told you before and I will tell you again: Reviews are what keep this story going! When you guys tell me that you liked a chapter, and what you would like to see more of, it keeps me going! So…REVIEW before I go insane and abandon this story for my other ones!

Haley: o_O….I apologize for my authoress…She's just really stressed out over her other fanfics that still have yet to be completed *cough-cough*

Skyler: Yea, she still has yet to finish my story!

You're not even in this story! Why are you here in the authors note?

Skyler: In my defense, I'd just like to say that I came to make sure you remembered me and my story.

Hope: Hey, don't forget me!

May: Ooh, and me either!

Lilly: Hey, I'm still around too y'know!

**MY GAWD, HALF OF YOU OC'S ARENT EVEN FF7** ones! Get back to your stories!** NOW!**

Haley: Um, uh, Reno, Disclaimer speech…now before she goes into panic attack mode!

Reno: twilight girl456 doesn't own me, or any of my other fellow ff7 characters. What she does own is this story, and Haley Strife.

Haley: Please enjoy the story!

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56. The problem with Denzel

"So, he just exploded because you're moving out and in with me?"

"Yeah. I never expected him to act like that though." I mumbled sadly. "Thing is, I don't know what would make him say it like that. He's never told me he hated me…" I could feel tears stinging my eyes as I did my best not to let them fall.

"Oh, Haley…" Reno put an arm around me and hugged me to his chest.

"I know I'm t-talking a-ahead here, b-but when we have kids, are they gonna hate me too?" I buried my face into his chest and sobbed.

* * *

Denzel laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought, when he heard footsteps stop at his doorway. He looked over to see Cloud standing there, his arms crossed as he leant against the door, a small frown on his face.

"You wanna tell me why you yelled at Haley?"

Denzel sat up and looked at the floor shamefully. "I don't want her to leave. I want her to stay here with us, not go with Reno."

Cloud moved out of the doorway and went and sat on the edge of Denzel's bed. "Why don't you exactly want her to go?"

"Because…who'll take care of me?"

The question itself completely shocked Cloud. When he had first brought Denzel to the bar when he had found him, the first person he had actually spoken to was Haley. She had somehow coaxed him into speaking to her. She had been the only person he had trusted before everyone else, and he would always follow her

around. Cloud knew that he looked at Haley as a mother, and that's why he didn't want her to leave…Because she had taken care of him like she was.

"She reminds me of my mom. The way she makes jokes and is nice to everyone. I don't want her to leave me…"

"Denzel, I know that you love her, but you have to understand she isn't always going to be able to take care of you. She loves Reno, and wants to have a life with him. She loves you, but she loves Reno too. She doesn't want to leave knowing you hate her, Denzel, which is why you should probably go apologize to her for yelling at her."

"Where is she?"

"In her room with Reno."

With a loud sigh, Denzel got up and trudged out of the room.

0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0

"Haley?" I looked over at the doorway to see Denzel standing there, looking at the floor shamefully. "I'm sorry about yelling at you and saying that I hated you. I don't."

I smiled at him, reaching over and pulling him into a hug. "I forgive you, Denzel. I forgive you. And, I know you don't want me to leave, which is why I have arranged it with Tifa that you can come see me whenever you like and stay over with us."

Denzel looked up at me. "Really?"

I smiled down at him. "Yeah, really!"

He hugged me again before walking out to share the good news with Cloud. I was just glad that he wasn't mad anymore.

* * *

A/N: Oh, woe is me! WOE IS ME! This chapter…turned out not the way I had wanted it to! So, I'm mad about this! I think I'm losing my touch with this story…Hmm, what do you guys think? I think I'm gonna give them a summer wedding…So, tell me which month I should have it take place. While all of you amazing reviewers, which I am going to mention for their awesome reviews. Thank you to xxDarkAssassinxx, once more, I am thanking you for being a constant reviewer since the beginning of this story, and XxRikela-chanxX, another constant reviewer. If there were actually more, I would mention them too, but being as you guys are the only ones, you should feel special! YAY! Anyways, while all of you awesomely cool people review, I shall go and work on my something else! LATER TATERS!


	57. Wedding Planner Bianca!

A/N: Sorry if you all find this chapter boring, but I did my best writing it. Lately, I haven't been all too motivated with stuff, and i am going out of town next friday for an entire week, so i am looking to trying to get this finished before i leave. I need suggestions on chapter ideas, because i am now fresh out, which is bad because no ideas means no more chappies, which is bad! So, if there's something you'd like to see more of, better tell me so i can plan and give you credit for your idea! Please and Thank you my amazingly awesome readers and reviewers!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for this story, Haley, and Bianca. Everything else is property of Square Enix!

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57. Wedding Planner, Bianca!

**1 month later-**

I had figured out the month I wanted the wedding to be in. I had set it for next May, in the summer, just what I wanted. Elena had agreed to be a bridesmaid, and she even found me and Reno a wedding planner.

"Her name is Bianca Fleming. She's the best of the best!" Elena stated.

"Better be the best of the best in our budget range…" Reno muttered, and I smacked him on the back of the head to shut him up.

"She did my cousins wedding, which was probably the best wedding I've ever been to. Don't worry, Reno, she comes cheap." Elena reassured us.

That was yesterday, and right now, we're sitting in an office, waiting for Bianca. Right on cue, the door opened, and a woman with black hair walked in.

"You two are the Sinclair/Strife couple, right?" We both nodded our heads and she grinned happily at us. "Nice to meet you both! I'm Bianca Fleming." she held out her hand for us to shake which we did. Quickly she took a seat behind the desk.

"Now then, you've been engaged for month, correct?" I nodded my head in confirmation. "And what month do you want to have this wedding?"

"Next May if possible."

For the next hour or two, we talked about what kinda theme we wanted, and how large we wanted it to be, causing Reno to groan when the thoughts of cost entered his mind. In all honesty, I don't care how big it is, but a pretty good sized wedding would suffice to me, and hopefully it would stay in our budget range. After Bianca and I had talked about what I wanted, and she had finished taking her notes, we left and went home.

"Bianca sounds way too expensive if you ask me." Reno said, plopping down onto the couch.

"Were you not listening to a word her and I were saying during that appointment? She's actually lower priced than we thought, and I think she's the best choice we made."

"If you say so, but if I find out that she's not, then we wont have any money for a honeymoon!"

I smiled at him, pecking him on the cheek. "You worry too much, you know that?"

He smirked at me, gently pulling me down next to him. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yes, I know. And if you love me, you'll let me up so I can go and change!"

0o0oo0oo0o0o0o0o0

As I walked out of the bedroom and headed back to the living room, a pair of hands grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back into the bedroom, pressing my back against the closed door. Even in the dark, I could tell who it was.

"Can I help you?" I asked in a teasing voice.

"Maybe…it all depends on the kind of help you give out." Reno muttered out. His warm breath caressed my face, letting me know that he was right near it.

"And if I say I don't want to help you…?"

I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I'll kiss you senseless…" He let his head fall onto my shoulder, and his breath tickled my neck as he leant in and pressed his lips to it.

I smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea…" He nipped down, causing me to gasp in pleasure.

He moved away from my neck, pressing kisses up towards my jaw line, before reaching my lips. And right before he could kiss me-

'**RINGGGGGGG!'** Damned phone!

He smiled at me sadly. "We'll continue this later. I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and left me standing there for awhile, until I finally got tired of standing and fell onto the bed.

He had better be serious about finishing up what he had started.

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A/N: Oh no! It was shorter and much more boring than I wanted it to be! Ok, so tell me what you guys think, because I need to know! Also, if anyone would like to give me a request on what they wanna see in the next chapter, please do, because my mind and creativity are a big empty space right now! So, sorry if it was really short and boring, but I couldn't help it! What can I say, I'm lazy! So, please review! LATER TATERS!


	58. Wedding Day

A/N: I believe my creativity has become limited for this story, seeing as I have run out of ideas, which is very sad. Ok, so this is the final chapter for this story! T-T, yes I know, sad right? Well, I will tell you there may be a small little 9 or ten chapter sequel, seeing as it involves their married life! Well, I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, and added this story to their favorites. It was so much fun to read your reviews and write this lovely story. Thank you all!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except this story.

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58. Wedding Day

She stared at herself in the mirror, flattening down the any creases in the lovely white dress she was wearing, and straightening the veil on her head. She felt her eyes sting with tears, thanking Shiva all the while that Tifa had put waterproof mascara on her. She grabbed a tissue and dabbed her tears lightly, erasing any traces of them ever being there. She, Haley Liana Strife, was getting married today.

I soft knock at her door brought her out of her thoughts as she saw Cloud poke his head in. "You ready?"

She smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah…I think so."

* * *

Reno waited at the end of the aisle, the preacher standing next to him on one side, while Rude, Tseng, and Rufus stood on the other. It was a small wedding, with only a few guests sitting in the pews of the old church. Yes, the old church. During her free time, Haley had found the gil to replace them with new ones. The old church had been decorated with flowers, lilies and irises to be exact. The front of the church, where the flowers grew around the healing waters, remained undisturbed.

Reno was excited. He was getting married to the girl that was his life, and he was just overjoyed. He wondered how their life together would be, and he decided it would be a great one.

The music started, and the people that were sitting in the pews stood as the door to the church opened.

0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I watched as my bridesmaids went in one by one, starting with Tifa first, then Elena, and then Yuffie. As I watched them, I was suddenly pulled into the familiar flower field.

"_I cant believe you're getting married!" _The familiar flower girls voice rang through my ears.

I laughed. "Neither can I. I always figured…that you'd be here as my maid of honor."

Aerith smiled at me. _"I may not be there in person right now, but I'm still here, watching. And so is Zack, and your mom."_

"I know."

She looked at me curiously. _"Why did you pick the church?"_

I looked at her and smiled. "I guess…I just have a bunch of fond memories of it. And, I think it could use some attention every now and then."

"_I think, it's time now. I'll be watching."_

"Haley?" I was thrown out of the field and back in front of the open doors of the church. "You ready?" Cloud held his arm out for me to take, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah. Let's go." I said, taking his arm in mine, and letting him walk me through the door.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Reno watched as Marlene came in, throwing flower petals on the ground, and Denzel moving towards him and the other guys, the rings on a pillow. And then, he watched as the girl of his dreams, came in, her older brother walking her down the aisle. She looked beautiful in her dress, and her smile was breathtaking. She held a bouquet of lilies in her hand, staring at him with a smile on her face.

When she reached the front, Reno held out a hand for her. She nodded, before turning back to Cloud and hugging him, doing her best to hold back the tears. He gently kissed her cheek before moving to sit down next to the others. Haley handed her bouquet to Tifa, and finally taking Reno's hand to stand next to him in front of the preacher.

0o0o0o

After the many minutes of speaking, the preacher got ready to give the two their vows.

Denzel quickly handed the two their rings to hold for each other before the vows began for Reno.

"I, Reno Alan Sinclair, take you Haley Liana Strife, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." He slipped the ring on above her engagement ring.

Haley had tears in her eyes as she said her vows. "I, Haley Liana Strife, take you Reno Alan Sinclair, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." She slipped the ring on his finger, a large and teary smile on her face.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Everyone clapped as the two shared their first kiss as a married couple.

* * *

Everyone met up at 7th Heaven for the after party. People were already dancing together on the dance floor. Haley was talking to some people when Reno came up from behind her.

"Would you care to dance, Mrs. Sinclair?"

She giggled. "I'd love to."

Reno pulled her out on the dance floor just as one of Haley's favorite songs began to play. She started to hum along to it as they slow danced.

_Can you feel the love tonight begins-_

"I love you, babe…so much…" Reno mumbled into her hair as they danced.

"I love you too, Reno…I love you too."

Even though she couldn't see the future, she knew one thing for sure: That they would have a happy life together, no matter what, as long as they were together.

And they would always be together.

* * *

A/N: *SOB* S-so happy! *Wails some more*

Other OC'S appear as they watch their authoress cry-

Mimi: Um, she is a very sensitive person…

Hope: Hehe, uh, yeah, I don't think she's crying about the wedding scene…I think she's crying for joy that she's done.

N-no, I'm crying for both. I didn't intend to go all mushy and stuff! *Sniff* thanks to all of you freakishly awesome readers and reviewers, I finished this story because you all encouraged me. You are all awesome, and I appreciate each and every single on of you! Thanks so much!


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